Delorean – Muzik

Dusky, Nostalgic Muzik

Picture the scene, a divey basement club circa 1991. Young twenty-somethings with hair soaring up towards the ether and crowds of nostalgic, desperate music lovers gyrating to rhythmic drum beats and harmonious “oohs” and “ahhs.” It is this scene exactly that describes the sound of Delorean’s newest record Muzik. There has to be a physical description of this album, because so much of it feels physical and nostalgic that one cannot help but associate it with different experiences in one’s life.

The album opens with “Epic,” a song that is appropriate for the start of the record. It elicits memories and dreams that are both epic and enigmatic. It would be a song best fitted for a scene in a movie, where the main character walks along the hectic streets of some unnamed city, waxing sentimentality with questionable life choices. Unlike the endings of those movies, however, Muzik progresses and ends on a much more successful note. Songs like “Figures” and “Contra” drive the album forward with their sampling of 80s sounding drum machines and manipulated vocals that fluctuate between bass and countertenor. The real songs that stand out, though, are “Limbo” and the last track “Parrhesia.” “Limbo” is this rare hybrid song that sounds like it could be from a Sigur Ros record or a hit from Depeche Mode. The last song “Parrhesia” pleads whether it be to the listener or some unknown force to which they are addressing “Tell me all you know/Tell me all you know about it.” This phrase and its many variants are repeated several times. There is something ominous about this song and the record as a whole. Perhaps it is because this album was written after Delorean was reportedly “virtually kidnapped” while in Mexico City on tour. Or maybe it’s the fact that the literal meaning of the title of the last song means “free speech.” Instead of speaking candidly though, they chose to question, which in turn revealed a much more vulnerable and uncertain future, just like one may feel on their quest to self-fulfillment or the longing for a more simple and nostalgic period.

This Basque band has produced some of the best indie pop records within the last decade. To the indie music lover, their songs are iconic, and to any listener they are unforgettable. With their pleasing beats and easily accessible forms of instrumentation and lyrics, many listeners will have their music lingering in their minds and the lyrics on the tip of their tongues for days.