I absolutely, positively love to hear local music that is imbued with glorious, youthful, pop orientated fun. This is why it's great to hear new material from Team RKT, a duo hailing from Portstewart. Having touched upon them last month when they were longlisted for Chordblossom's Kickstart competition (and have subsequently made the shortlist for), the band have now released their first official E.P, "Living The Dream", which is a jolly fun ride indeed.
The band describe their sound as "chiptune rock", generating music through Gameboys and adding guitars. Although truth be told, only two of the tracks on the E.P really match up to this description - "LTD", with its heavy drums and 'Sonic rings' percussion, and "Homerun", a track which sounds like a version of 3OH!3 that you don't want to repeatedly punch in the face*.
Perhaps the best descriptor of the E.P is the simplest one - this is a pop record, through and through. The opening track, "Break Out", is a gorgeous slice of escapist pop in the Owl City mould, albeit one which does veer towards lo-fi electronics (listen to the perfectly pitched synth-solo from 1:43). The final track, "Above The Clouds" is the most guitar orientated song, yet still stays firmly in the pop landscape, coming off like a fizzier Darwin Deez.
"Living The Dream" probably won't be seen as the best E.P released in Northern Ireland this year, but it surely is going to be the most fun. Team RKT feel like a breath of fresh air on the local scene. Finally, we have a male-fronted equivalent to The Wonder Villains.
The "Living The Dream" E.P is available to download for free.
*Disclaimer - The Metaphorical Boat does not endorse violence again any American electro duos, regardless of their artistic merit.
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