Having joined the Silver Summer story at its most sonically understated point, that is, the stripped and gorgeous version of ‘Breath,’ it was ‘Closer,’ the crashingly vibrant opener to their album Die of Love, which showed me what I was actually dealing with. There is a massive distance between the dulcet tones of that first encounter and this kick-ass kickoff to that album, but not only did they manage to fill it, but they also managed to bridge that space without ever feeling like they were moving out of naturally familiar territory.
‘Closer’ is wonderfully confident, the sound of pop music being given a shot in the arm, of rock music being stripped to its infectious essence; all though I suspect genre tags are the furthest thing from the band’s mind. Why would they weigh themselves down with such journalistic tat when they’re just looking to have so much fun? In short, it grooves like a good ‘un. Enough said!
Basses run relentlessly, guitars are rhythmic, drums drive, feet are placed on monitors and fists punch the air, people hit the dance floor, and even when they are firing off clever salvos and fun fills, Silver Summer never lose sight that, amongst the many things @Closer’ might be, it is call to arms for a heads-down-no-nonsense-mindless-boogie.
And with a video that turns what already sounds like the soundtrack to a crazy road trip into a visual narrative of exactly that, the package is complete.
Silver Summer can wander the musical map, juggling sounds and styles that take their fancy, but for me, ‘Closer’ is where it is at. (At least until they turn in the next one, I suspect.)
