Album: Mode IV
Release Date: December 11, 2018
Genre: Synth Indie-Pop
Mode IV is Vancouver based Mode Moderne‘s newest album – and I must say how glad I was to find out they’re locally based to me so I can go see
them live the very next time they play.
The tone of Mode IV lives at the lively intersection of Duran Duran and
the Smiths. Pumping electronic synths and kicking drum beats are layered
with slow electronic guitars and downplayed vocals. The effect is angsty but
maintains an optimism that makes you want to kick up your feet up and
throw your hands around in neon lights.
One standout on the album for me, in particular, was “Modern Love” which has a very sweet and dreamy tone for a song about love and grand theft auto. I especially enjoyed the lyric “Where we’re going, we don’t need student loans.” Listen to it with your most cherished anarchist partner.
Another standout was “Dazzling Dreams” which pulls on the darkest moods of the album for its verses in tone, but the chorus then kicks into an almost
hymn-like elation – supported by the use of female backing vocals. This
juxtaposition builds a stunning vision for the listener of just how