Recently, there has been something of a revival of the 80s synth wave scene, with hints of it making their way into tracks by artists such as Foals, Tame Impala, The 1975, and even Creeper’s latest installment of their musical evolution. However, Montreal’s indie-electro outfit Mundy’s Bay take this revival to the next level with their debut album ‘Lonesome Valley’ – a dreamy, melodic record from a band that clearly love their hard hitting drum beats and synth, but bring balance to their songs with Esther Mulders’ captivating vocals.
It’s an album that’s heavily structured and clearly influenced by 80s new wave pop, by way of catchy rhythms and bright lyrics that cover all aspects of love, loss, and longing; the reoccurring pattern of the album.
Ironically, the album starts with ‘Goodbye’, a vibrant opener with a catchy chorus that has a summer feel-good factor. The echo put over Mulders’ vocals really gives it that 80s vibe, and the guitar weaves delicately around the flowing bassline. The music video for this again screams 80s pop, with a colourful kaleidoscope montage of the band members performing in the background, and so many effects that you feel like reaching for the keys to your Cortina and heading out looking like Robert Smith. And whilst it sounds like something you’ve heard on a Channel 4 coming of age sitcom, it’s still different and fresh enough to keep your interest.
The band clearly has a passion for 80s new wave, but they compliment that with elements of indie-tronica (think Crystal Castles and Zolof The Rock & Roll Destroyer) and in that sense, it wouldn’t feel out of place in a night club.
‘Wash Over Me’ and ‘Window in the Shade’ have a darker feel to them, with some raw, powerful guitar riffs and eerie synths in the undertones. The fuzz pedal is clearly stomped on for both of these, slowing down the pace and changing the mood of the album, giving us a taste of the band’s punk roots.’Window in the Shade’ is a variant of the song that was on the bands 2017 EP ‘Wandering and Blue’ and comparing the two really shows how the band have progressed and matured. Where the original features an incredible scream from Mulders, and is slightly heavier on the synths in places, the finished article is incredibly echoey and lacks depth. It actually sounds like its being played though a very small speaker. The 2020 update gives the song a richer, cleaner and much improved sound.
‘Dreams’ picks up the tempo again and starts with a deep and direct bassline that leads to some wonderful layered guitar melodies, whilst Mulders’ vocal talents create yet more stunning harmonies. A simple ‘indie’ style bridge changes the direction of the song, adding some scaling guitars, before it returns to that chunky bassline and ends abruptly.
The album closes with ‘J’ai Tout Perdu’ which, translates to ‘I Lost It All’, and is a perfect ending to the album. The guitars have that sound mastered by The Cure, and you can feel the transformation of an almost apologetic chorus to a bridge that then releases this bottled-up anger and frustration – it’s beautiful, as if it’s a moment of sudden realisation and acceptance.
Mundy’s Bay clearly have a love for the 80s, but what they have done is brought a bit of the 80’s into 2020. Their concoction of 80s indie-electro-punk brings a sound that is so expansive and compelling yet consistently delivers. Their harmonies are on point, the melodies in the right place, and together it all works incredibly well. Yet take any element away and it all falls apart. An album that covers a wide range of genres and emotions, and pulls it off seamlessly.
SI WATTEN