When you slide Sunset Love on blood red vinyl from its outer sleeve, lay it on the platter, and set the stylus down on the spinning wax, Absolute Valentine sets a mood. The beats and catchy synth melodies are the focal point of this album. The songs are built around emotional flow. They build you up. They break you down. And these highs and lows create the undertow of the album, which feels to me a little like standing on the beach and watching a wave emerge from the water it is made from only to crash down at your feet moments later.
Sunset Love was written in Marseille, France in 2015, just after the artist was left heartbroken by his girlfriend. The title track sets the album in motion. It opens with a new beginning – the sound of the ocean, atmospheric synth to match, and a melody inching its way into the spotlight only to duke it out with a hard hitting beat for center stage. The lead solo folds over itself again and again, closing in melancholic fashion.
“She’s a Dancer” tells its own story. It features some hand percussion elements, tight digital beats, and intensive lead synth lines. It elicits images of lights flashing in a smoke filled alley way, momentarily illuminating figures in the night. The scene continues to unfold with “Supernova Run,” which comes in with a thick bass line, hard hitting beat, and layers of melodic synth lines. The track breaks down into a solo piano piece, showcasing the loneliness only isolation can bring to bear. It is in “Supernova Run” that I notice the wave has risen up, and I am beginning to watch it motion toward the shore.
“One Night in Miami 1986” opens with a chunky bass line and atmospheric synth, building up into a penetrating melody. It quickly fades into “Disco Lover”, which features bass lines, a quick beat, and digital melodies that convey swag and attitude. The track dips into a disorienting lull only to be revived with a lullaby-like melody.
“Energy” is an interlude with an edge. The synth sounds like injecting a neon sign, firing it up to bring a little light to night. The track features a melody that is almost classical, like a kite zipping back and forth as it works its way up, and then down, and then back up again. The album comes to a close with “Where Angel Fly.” It certainly feels like the wave has crashed upon the shore and begun to retreat once again. The track opens with layers of synth lines having their own conversation while you are left to eaves drop. “Where Angel Fly” breaks down into a lonely synth segment, building back up into layers of interwoven synth melodies anchored to the steady beat.
Absolute Valentine structured the songs on Sunset Love such that nothing gets in the way. Every piece plays its part. It is not overdone. It is not underdone. This might stem from the way Absolute Valentine builds their songs, which the artist said begins with a catchy melody, followed by developing a lead synth line or riff, and then finally a drum kit starts to bring the song into focus.
You can give Sunset Love a listen on vinyl or digital from Lazer Discs Records. Absolute Valentine is looking ahead to the vinyl edition of their latest release, Police Heartbreaker. Take a look at pictures of a studio the artist has worked in and the deluxe edition vinyl release. You can follow Absolute Valentine on their fan page here.
