Today the British Columbia band Bridal Party dropped their second album Cool Down.
An album filled with mellow catchy summer beach jangle yacht retro-pop music a-la TOPS.
About the album:
Cool Down is west coast art pop band Bridal Party’s most stylistically refined and emotionally resonant work to date. Serving groovy, hook-forward songwriting that elevates lead singer Suzannah Raudaschl’s generous and emotional vocals, the Canadian band’s sophomore LP synthesizes elements from historical epochs of pop since the 70’s, articulating a unique lyrical realism that oscillates between finding balance and letting go.
From the very first line, Raudaschl brings the listener into the room with her: “Take off my shoes / open the curtain to check out the hotel view” begins the opening track “Afterthought”. Inspired by an experience the songwriter had of being put up overnight by an airline after a flight cancellation, this being in-between also defines a recurring point of view. You can hear it in the fantasy love of “Daydream”, the indecision of “Baby Anymore”, and on the album’s title track in the precipice before the comedown, awash in vibey Juno synth pads and vocal harmonies.
To compose and record Cool Down, the members of Bridal Party began by writing separately, only later to chop up and rearrange each other’s demos. “The goal was to create songs that were not limited to just one person’s imagination about what the song could be” says guitarist Joseph Leroux. This became a necessity when the global pandemic prevented the band from working out arrangements in their rehearsal space. The resultant Cool Down is precise in its joyfulness and cathartic. “We wanted to write songs that you could dance to, as well as songs that could fit a more introspective mood at home,” says Raudaschl. “I think most songs do both.”
Raudaschl’s vocal melodies are inspired by dance and pop icons like Robyn and Caroline Polachek. She also regularly channels a songwriter like Joni Mitchell or Townes van Zandt, leading her lyrical juxtapositions out into open and impressionistic spaces: “This reflection cleared the way so my affinity to place / could settle like dust on / the kitchen counter” sings Raudaschl through from the last verse of “Afterthought” and into the track’s climactic bridge. On Cool Down, everyday crises are met with funky rhodes and swirls of vintage synthesizers, inspired by the innovative studio pop of groups like Steely Dan and Stereolab. 70’s soul-inspired guitar sets the stage for ruminations on addiction and comfort. A lounging psychedelia permeates. All of this is held together by a kinetic understanding the members of Bridal Party share, cultivated on the road and nourished in the studio. Cool Down emits a concentrated emotional energy that dances its way through the commonplace toward its most intimate details.
Cool Down gets: 📷📷📷📷📷📷📷/10.
Bridal Party – Cool Down [Streaming]
