I’ll be honest here, at the risk of someone saying, “what on earth are you talking about?” As soon as the silky vocals and wistful world view kicked in over the happy, poppy melodies on this new song called “Falling Apart” from Toronto-based Most People, an instant wave of recognition come over me. Though this electronic pop duo embraces exuberant synthesizers in their upbeat sound, their overall vibe and winning combination of bouncy music with rather melancholy lyrics strongly reminded me of a beloved New Zealand jangly guitar band, The Bats. It may be the vocals, which to my ears are eerily like Robert Scott’s, or the happy-sad dichotomy which I’ve always found irresistible, but whatever it is, it’s delightful.

Most People is comprised of Brandon Gibson-DeGroote and Paul McEachern. Their eponymous debut album, released in 2012, swam in exotic waters that bordered the lands of both electronic ambient music and psychedelia. Refreshing and dreamy, the music and delicately woven-in vocals alternately drifts, bounce, sails and glides its way through the ether. I’ve seen others compare them to The Cure, mentioning their 90s influences, which I think is also at times valid. Since their debut, they put out the 3-track EP Stay Here Forever In The Night (2014) and Violet Spaces, just released last month. That latest release features seven tracks, four of them remixes, and a heavy percussive element which has a tribal rather than synthetic feel (especially on “Release” and “I Just Might”), blending nicely with the inviting vocals and intriguing instrumentation.

If you’re in the Toronto area, they’re performing at The Garrison on July 9.

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