By Yetunde Keme | Staff Writer |
Tanlines are looking to get their proper recognition by utilizing more vocals and synthetic pop in their newest album, Mixed Emotions.
The indie rock/pop duo consists of Brooklyn natives Jesse Cohen (drums) and Eric Emm (guitar/vocals).
The band formed in 2008 when they collaborated in the production of a song for Cohen’s band Professor Murder.
Entertainment column Spinner.com interviewed the duo back in 2010, and asked them how they came up with the band name.
“I think the name was something we saw on the back of a truck that we were driving behind,” they said. “‘Lines’ is a musical term, like, a keyboard line, and it also references [how] much time we spend indoors making music.”
The group released their single “New Flowers” in 2008 on the Internet, but they did not receive much recognition.
Spinner.com also asked what their musical influences were.
“One of the things we talked a lot about was this sort of studio pop music from the 90s,” a spokesperson from Tanlines said.
They also said they liked British pop music with a lot of synthesizers and how producer Stock Aitken produces the rhythms and beats.
According to NPR music, Tanlines also cited Westernized Afro-pop beats as another one of their influences.
The mixture of these beats along with synthetic pop can be heard on their new album, Mixed Emotions.
Tanlines are more vocal in their new album in comparison to the past singles they have released.
“Brothers,” the first single from their new album is one of the songs that have more vocals present and less melodies.
“All of Me” is another single that displays their powerful vocals with the lyrics, “Sing loud to yourself/like you just don’t care,” sending a message of self-expression.
The single “New Flowers” is mostly instrumental with barely any vocals, but had a unique synthetic pop feel to the song, which was what made the song interesting.
Another instrumental single, “Real Life,” also had that synthetic pop feel, but emphasized more on the Afro-pop beat.
Tanlines can be seen as a mix of other artists such as Vampire Weekend (Westernized Afro-pop) and Friendly Fires (synthetic pop) on a musical level.
Tanlines opened for The Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas in 2009 and have played with bands such as Yeasayer, Health and Delorean.
Why are Tanlines not getting the recognition they deserve, despite their good music and the noteworthy musicians with whom they toured?
This is a question that has remained unanswered after four years and shows how the music industry can be very selective in terms of who becomes popular and who does not.
If you want Tanlines to receive more recognition for their music, buy their album Mixed Emotions, which drops March 20.
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