Tanlines Settings EP

In a lot of ways, Tanlines don’t have any business playing the music they do. They’re an incredibly white, incredibly Brooklyn-ish duo, who play low-tech, conga-inspired electronic dance music - it’s the sort of thing you’d expect to be a stupid hipster gimmick. Surprisingly, their debut EP Settings is completely devoid of irony, and you get the sense the band really do care about their potentially-ridiculous sonic identity. The six tracks never even crack a smirk, and end up much better because of it.

Tanlines compositions are pretty simple, generally limited to a synth-line and a deliciously organic west-African drum work. Most of the tracks are without vocals, which works pretty well considering the buoyant nature of the instruments at use here. You never find yourself missing, or even expecting a chorus, and they hardly ever demand attention when they are present. Settings is an orchestral showcase more than anything else.

The best song of the bunch is the poignant (at least superficially) Real Life. Most of Settings is good, but Real Life is the track where all the disparate musical ideas make the most sense. It’s just a great pop song, and the polyrhythmic drumbeat and Casio plunks are married so well, you wonder why it’s taken someone this long to try it.

I will say, even at six tracks, I was ready for the EP to end when it did. I’m not sure how Tanlines will fair on say, a ten-track record – their sole musical concept, while good, isn’t necessarily built to endure extended listening. However Settings remains as an instantly engaging extended-play, you simply don’t hear music like this that often.