“Climbing Walls”
from the EP Strange Talk
2011
iTunes
For those clued into the world of contemporary indie dance music it should come as no surprise to learn that today’s featured act, Strange Talk, hails from Australia. The scene there has already provided us with one of the genre’s biggest breakout successes in Cut Copy, as well as a formidable cohort that includes Midnight Juggernauts, The Presets, and Van She. Strange Talk are looking to be counted among that flock with the recent release of their debut Strange Talk EP on the influential Neon Gold label (Passion Pit, Dom, Ellie Goulding, The Sound of Arrows).
“Climbing Walls” is the first of self-titled release’s four songs and feels as though it were genetically engineered to make the kids put down their PBRs and shake it. With a fluttering, high-energy pulse that rightfully earns those Cut Copy comparisons, “Climbing Walls” features cascades of synthesizer melodies and the deep thumps of digitized drums.
One of the song’s most engaging moments, however, is when Strange Talk loosens things up during the track’s bridge. During these moments listeners can hear that perennial Big Influence — New Order — insinuating itself into the composition in the form of a guitar riff that couples perfectly with its counterpart on bass. Strange Talk doesn’t linger here too long, careful to not let the momentum slip away, and the throttle is promptly pushed all the way up again.