Lisbon-based artist Greg Bounce impresses with “Friends in Towns,” a hauntingly elegant ballad that laments how “it falls down,” in reference to eroding friendships. Drawing praise for more electronic-minded works in prior years, Bounce embraces a piano-forward contemplation with “Friends in Towns,” which stirs with its heartfelt lyricism and touch of ’70s ballad nostalgia.
“The song is about moving to the big city and making a million friends,” Bounce says. “But then realising how fragile and hollow some friendships can be.”
A twinkling background ambience consumes alongside shimmering piano and solemn vocals; the piano-forward arsenal and ballad-ready vocals craft a sound fondly reminiscent of the late great Ryuichi Sakamoto, and his collaborations with the likes of David Sylvian specifically. Liviu Gheorghe’s piano work dazzles, as does the subtle yet impactful rhythm section. “it all falls down,” Bounce lets out during the chilling chorus, expanding into a gorgeous atmospheric expansion past the three-minute mark.
The stellar “Friends in Towns” features Dutch Uncles bassist Robin Richards, drummer Andrew Richardson (Pale Seas, Francis Lung), and jazz pianist Liviu Gheorghe.
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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Best of April 2023’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup. The submitter accepted our content-based offer, which included financial compensation for our time writing, editing, and publishing this article.
