More SO2011 goodness here, this time from the long-listed The Naked And Famous whose album 'Passive Me, Aggressive You' is finally released this week.
I reviewed the brilliant Young Blood in October last year (which you may have heard on various tv adverts recently), describing their sound as "the love-child of MGMT and Passion Pit". This rings true for Punching In A Dream, a superb slice of indie-poptronica. It's a track filled with oxymorons; the upbeat, euphoric mix of synths and distorted guitars contrasting with the melancholic lyrics - "like punching in a dream breathing life into the nightmare". This extends to the video - serene imagery of death and suicide with angelic lead singer Alisa Xayalith bathed in celestial light.
It's equally somber yet beautiful; radio-friendly, yet still appealing to indie wildchilds. The album as a whole is young, fresh and dreamy; yet roughly frayed, with jilting contrasts. Like I said before: New Zealand's not so boring anymore...
4/5
