Released today from South African duo Academie, new track “Battles” is a stirring electro-pop success with hypnotic vocals and trickling guitar additions. Jean-Louise and Alex Parker, who formed the project in early 2016, pursue a sound that comprises “a mix of dark and light that reflects the dualism that Academie readily embraces: in their self-contained musical world, pre-recorded samples, vocal reverb and loops are as central to the sound as the viola, guitar and saxophone.”
Such is evident on “Battles”, where the “away,” vocal repetition makes for hypnotic verses, leading into a spacious hook at the two-minute mark that shows flourishes of strings. The track shows some nice melodic versatility from this point on, blending the synths, guitars, and strings with cohesive precision. “Battles” is a stellar release from Academie.
“Battles” and other memorable tracks from this month can also be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Best of August 2018’ Spotify playlist.
