Wild Cub’s ebullient “Blacktide” is as good an homage as any to the streaking synthetic sounds of 1980s pop anthems. It’s an era and musical attitude that continues to inspire. Take Drake’s new “Hold on, We’re Going Home,” which brings to mind Eddie Money’s “Take Me Home Tonight” in both tendencies and title.
Like the greatest Eddie Money tune, “Blacktide” is the stuff of an all-night dance marathon, or, at the very least, an ’80s-style montage. The track’s relentless energy is thrown off-kilter by lyrics of regret and uncertainty. “All the words that you said to me, they were all wrong” is cooed over the lull of a bridge, giving the head time to catch up with the madly-dancing feet before the whole song collapses into itself, returning to the sound and spirit of a decade that spawned moments like this.