If we were living in an ’80s movie and the protagonist sees his love interest for the first time it would be as she’s dancing to “Violent Soul” in some dimly lit club, her hair primped to an effortlessly chic voluminous ‘do, neon flourescent lights flickering in the background. With an abundant amount of dark and ambient synths it’s difficult not to find ‘80s new wave as an influence on True Body. The distant, unpolished vocals on Demo ‘16 (streaming below) call to mind British alt rockers White Lies, with a touch of U2, but the spacey keys are reminiscent of Talking Head and DEVO–certainly something that belongs on the soundtrack to some John Hughes film. It’s brooding, yet bubbly, meant to be enjoyed in the late hours of the night when the idea of tomorrow is but a fleeting thought and you’re trying to forget who and where you are.
Accompanying True Body on stage that night is Fat Spirit, whose name does not deceive. Their tracks are perfused with an ecstatic sensation– spastic guitars shimmy throughout the album, swirling to life a sound that recalls a rough around the edges ’60s psych rock guitar riff. The vocals teeter between tender and moving to distant and apathetic, a perfect combination when singing about love, as Fat Spirit does throughout the album, or more specifically the loss of love and disintegrating relationships.
Lose yourself in Fat Spirit and True Body’s music below and make sure to check them out at Strange Matter on August 4. – Adriana S. Ballester