Brooklyn based trio Class Actress are purveyors of silky smooth synth pop.
Layers of tightly woven keyboards and electro drum beats overlaid with singer Elizabeth Harper's breathy female vocals. She has a detached, cool but ever-so seductive air, it's kind of like one of the Stepford Wives has joined The Human League.
RAPPROCHER is their first full album and there are some standout moments, 'Weekend' and 'Love Me Like You Used Too' in particular are classy, crystalline perfectly-produced pop. Over the course of a whole album though it becomes a little one-note and towards the end it begins to feel derivative. If you really like the new wave of electro / synth pop bands like Hurts or Grimes you'll probably love it, if your more casual like me, it will drag.
A better introduction would be their excellent Journal of Ardency EP from 2010 which still feels fresher and more exciting, being less in the thrall of their lead singer and standard songs structures. On this E.P. Class Actress suggest a willingness break tracks down into full-on electro dancefloor numbers in a similar way to vintage New Order, check out the track 'Someone Real'. Disappointingly though there's none of that on RAPPROCHER. Bit of a shame really. Next time they just need to be less cool, have a bit more fun, and we will too.
'WEEKEND'
'LOVE ME LIKE YOU USED TO'
'SOMEONE REAL'
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