Why do we like moving to the beat? Dancing? Tapping our fingers? Hell, even twerking? I don’t know. So I typed it into Google and as it turns out, a neurologist in America has an idea why. There’s a reward centre in our brains that activates the ‘happy feels’ when we align our movements with music and with other people’s as well. From this, I can only conclude that deep down we are all perfectionists striving for an excellent sense of rhythm and feel for the beat.
Sydney trio RÜFÜS are back in the game with their incredible sophomore release Bloom. Mature, experimental and boasting plenty of great beats, you’ll be hard pressed no to dance the night away.
Hence, why we like (or love) to dance. Or – without the science of it all – dancing is simply fabulous because it brings people together. Just above is what Tyrone Lindqvist, lead singer of RÜFÜS claims as the band’s inspiration. Sydney’s indie-house trio create their beats hoping to evoke a state of euphoria on any dance floor. They’ve already helped a lot with this whole process with their debut album Atlas. But I can promise you their new beats featured on their sophomore album Bloom will make you want to move even more.
The nightclub scene in Berlin had a significant influence over the new album. The three piece were finishing up a tour around Europe and decided to settle down in Berlin for about two months at the end of 2014. They claim the space away from home and their loved ones let them explore some new territory in their songwriting. As well as writing more emotively, they also seemed to have been taken by their different surroundings. I can almost hear Berlin’s cooler temperatures.
The chilly synths and exuberant bass sounds are crisp and clean, like the staggering first breath of that icy winter air. But don’t start thinking our boys lack the Australian sun, they finished the album off in good ol’ Sydney. Back in the Aussie pool of electronic trailblazers like SAFIA, Flight Facilities and Peking Duk, RÜFÜS mix their European influences with our love of some impressive vocal harmonies and the sweet sounds of a thunderstorm. Seriously, the first song on the album, Brighter, begins with low rumbling thunder that ends a classic hot Summer’s day. Paired with the some haunting and mysterious harmonies, this album is ready to strike you with lightening.
The extremely malleable nature of electronic music lets RÜFÜS create tunes of all shades. The high energy and banging songs at the beginning of the album slowly morph into those of a more hypnotic nature. Funnily enough, the song aptly named Hypnotised, features some dreamy synths, gentle guitar and Lindqvist’s sultry vocals that will carry you off in a trance.
On the whole, the album is put together seamlessly… but almost too seamlessly. Although the album starts strong with a few of their singles and hits yet to be, the album becomes a bit of a blur towards the middle. All of the songs have a powerful and constant beat that create some very infectious vibes, but RÜFÜS began to lose my interest when there weren’t too many new stylistic features thrown into the mix. Albeit – they made a full recovery at the end of the album with their nine minute masterpiece Innerbloom. It will take you places – enough said.
I can totally picture the boys blaring these bangers in some ice-castle-turned-night-club and totally melting it down to the ground and that’s a good thing.
