Suburbia by Crozet

By Phil Hawkins

Over the past few years there has been a strong resurgence of 80s nostalgia. It has permeated through fashion, television and music. In some aspects it feels forced, cheap and gimmicky. On the other hand though, it has the ability to be genuine and authentic. Crozet’s synthwave sounds on Suburbia are anything but forced, cheap or gimmicky.

Suburbia is a lush full sound that has all of the best elements of the 80s in tow. Epic? Yes. Cinematic? Absolutely. Power ballads? Why wouldn’t there be? To coincide with it’s release, we here at Tuned Up have hosted a premier with a track by track commentary from the band. Feel free to check it out here.

The title track, “Suburbia,” serves as an opener to the album and does a fantastic job at creating a short yet elaborate soundscape that shapes what can be expected moving forward. “Summer Nights” takes that soundscape and builds on it creating a magnificently crafted track that tells a story that is unique to each listener as it is open to interpretation. “Got Your Number” which features Biet Simkin is a very ethereal track and her vocals add to the overall atmospheric nature of the track.

“Where We Belong” is another solid track that put up against the following track, “My Racing Heart” rounds out the middle of the album. Both tracks clock right around the five minute mark each which packs a lot of content right in the middle of the album. “My Racing Heart” features Carl Cox and the 80s influence is very heavy. The track is very cinematic in scope and could easily be something pulled from Peter Gabriel’s discography (think “In Your Eyes”). Plus it has a killer sax solo that really makes it stand out on the album.

“Little Lies” might sound a bit familiar with it’s drumbeat, but John and Sean do not shy away from using their inspiration from iconic 80s bands to craft something unique and fresh. “Keep Waiting” is an upbeat poppy track that also carries a strong Peter Gabriel vibe vocally. The album comes to a close with “The Way We Used To Be” which serves as a solid closer to a very full album. This one is slow and melodic and draws strongly on the power ballad vibes that were prominent in the 80s. It wraps up the album and draws the story to a close.

Suburbia is a solid cohesive piece of art that is intricately crafted together. It plays to it’s strengths as John and Sean pull from 80s inspiration and allow each element to be fluid with one another to create the very full sound from start to finish.

Suburbia is available now on all major streaming platforms or you can purchase a digital copy via the band’s Bandcamp page.