Tomora’s Come Closer is an ecstatic love letter to ’90s dance music

Before Coachella, Tomura It wasn’t on my radar at all. I actually found it by accident – I opened the wrong stream because my TV was lagging like an MFer. I paused, mesmerized by the two ethereal Nordic women beating giant drums to the beats of techno music. I made a mental note to check it out the following weekend, because sink It was a priority (especially since Sonora Theater wasn’t airing the second weekend). I later found out that Tomora is a collaboration between Norwegian singer-songwriter Aurora and Tom Rowlands, one half of the Chemical Brothers.

Suffice it to say, they were amazing, and I immediately checked the record, come closer, After watching the second week group. Admittedly, a studio album can’t quite capture the picture Orgasmic catharsis From the Coachella set (seriously, me needs To see them live), but it’s still an amazing piece of work. It’s a love letter to 90s European dance music, dabbling in big beats, trip-hop, and techno.

After opening with a series of ghostly overlapping sonic planes, the title track begins, with stripped-down synths purring and Aurora chanting “Come closer to me.” The song builds slowly, changing very little until around 1:55, at which point Aurora makes a silent plea for human connection. Then the whole thing resets, and we get another version of the song’s climax – more of Aurora’s stunning vocals over Rowland’s sweeps of noisy electronics.

The trip-hop-infused “Boy Like You” follows, before finding full rave mode on lead single “Ring the Alarm”. The relentless melody, perfect side kick and pulsing bass, plus the unique vocal performance make this an instant classic. “Ring the Alarm” may be the most played song of the year, and I’ve only been listening to the album for a couple of weeks.

“My Baby” and “I Drink the Light” sound like classic Chemical Brothers psychedelic plays on pop radio, living comfortably alongside “Let’s be forever“,”Wide open“,” and “sunset“In Rowland’s catalog. Unlike the live show, Tomura mostly lives in this recorded path. The songs may be danceable, but they’re rarely bombastic. Sometimes, they’re even luscious, as on the massive attack-like “The Thing.” They leave plenty of room for Aurora’s harmonies and infection.

“Elsewhere” and “In a Minute” are the only two films that stand on the ground. But both are standout albums with great melodies backing the beats. I dare you not to dance your ass off to these songs.