So, a few weeks ago we dropped some fat red dots for the new Lorde album, and I’m not even saying that I’m against it or anything, but I feel compelled to mention here that the album caused quite a stir in the TMT teacher’s lounge. Disagreements about what the purpose of pop is were brought up, some people argued that indistinguishability is part-and-parcel with how Top 40 music is supposed to work, and some of us just couldn’t be bothered to put that much thought into music that’s essentially supposed to release you from your brain.
All of which is to say, Banny Grove seems to me to be functioning on a similar tip, cranking some sweet, auto-tuned euphoria meant for tearing through your car speakers, or maybe frolicking through a basement show in your imagination. The alter-ego of Louise Chicoine (co-founder of Nicey Music, the label home of our adored troubadours in Mega Bog), Banny Grove fuses the MIDI’d-out ecstasy of Crying with the pop instincts of, well, we already mentioned Lorde, but you know what we mean! It’s still summertime, no need to get caught up yet in anything less than full-hearted celebration and late nights under the stars.
Banny Grove’s done us the honor of letting us premiere her new EP Cars in Control (dropping August 11; preorders here) right here in the TMT school parking lot! It’s a five-song tour de force that is quite difficult to avoid hitting repeat on, so candy-like its pop hooks, so fast its good times seem to whoosh by. Don’t waste another second not listening to it, and have a good summer everybody. See you in the fall.