Thomas Jacob Jr.
Classixx - Faraway Reach
2016
Tropical House / Synth Pop
Innovative Leisure
In 2013, after toiling in the remix game for several years, Classixx released their debut full-length album of original material, the wonderful Hanging Gardens, a template for feel-good tropical house music that was bathed in lush summer synths, Kraftwerk-style melodies, and deep, mid tempo house beats. Since then, nu-disco has only risen in popularity (with the help of, among other things, Daft Punk’s embrace of the sound with their stellar Random Access Memories), and the group’s sophomore release, Faraway Reach, feels like returning to your favorite summer cottage with friends you haven’t seen in years. A glut of guest vocal performances keeps Faraway Reach from transcending the heights of the group’s debut, but it still remains a wholly likable collection of catchy synth pop numbers with peerless production. Synths squiggle and twinkle in the background, pads glimmer, rise, and fade, and bass lines bounce underneath. It’s the perfect soundtrack to cruising the streets alone at either daybreak or dusk.

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