Ahead of their headline Belfast date and support for Belle & Sebastian on their Irish tour later this year, Irish Pop-noir duo Dark Tropics continue to show their versatility. With support across BBC 6Music, Radio 1, KEXP and KCRW (amongst other tastemakers), they have continued to build a reputation as song crafters of vibrant contemporary pop. A trend continued with the release of their new single 'I Bet You Can'.
Already championed by the likes of Steve Lamacq and Kevin Cole, Dark Tropics abandon the analogue and embrace the future with a new track that captures their timeless, cinematic ideals and blends them with a contemporary, magnetic pull. New single 'I Bet You Can' channels the frantic energy and euphoric mania of Florence And The Machine and Primal Scream. With a stunning vocal performance from singer Rio, which gives form and purpose to the elated grooves and synths that line the sonic highways of the single, Dark Tropics fully enter into a new world of emotional and aural horizons. The hooks are laden with Welch-ian exhilaration, which continues to build throughout into a maelstrom crescendo of keys, brass and alt-pop percussion.
Speaking about the single, Dark Tropics said, “'I Bet You Can' was written in a storm and a haze. It's a song about embracing your youth and dancing your way through uncertainty whilst avoiding the perils of petty discontent."
The formation of Dark Tropics was inevitable. Drawn together by a bond that stretched from Ireland to Morocco, musicians Rio and Gerard found common ground in the form of Radiohead, Aretha Franklin and The Velvet Underground. Armed with the influences of William Somerset Maugham, Paul Auster and John Cooper-Clarke, the pair formed a partnership - one that relies equally on instinct and guile.
Their creative vision has bore fruit with timeless, cinematic Pop-Noir. Powered by analogue instruments and retro recording techniques the music sways and breathes naturally. Their themes are everywhere - the burning highs of lust, the fragility of heartache, the sting of betrayal. A meld of contemporary and classic, individuality and universality, the scope of Dark Tropics is limited only by how far down the rabbit hole you wish to follow.
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