It's perhaps a blanket statement to say that everyone loves the '80s, but it can't be denied that there's definitely something alluring to the era. Show us someone who doesn’t get any form of enjoyment from all the '80s specials on VH1, and we’ll show you a liar. Music has, of course, been a part of the culture's charm, and while many acts and artists nowadays have implemented elements that barely surpass imitation, few have managed to truly capture the spirit of the era in their music. The driving electronic jabs of Kavinsky’s work and pretty much everything that M83 has done since his seminal album Saturdays = Youth are both recent examples of successful homage, and now looking to join that esteemed company is Brooklyn dream-pop band Paperwhite as they release their incredible Magic EP. We've been singing the praises of the brother-sister act since we first caught wind of their electrifying single, “Take Me Back”, as it was an unashamed pop song that made no excused for its day-glow aesthetic. Later, they followed up with “Pieces”—another energetic romp through their carefully constructed retro-pop wonderland—and we loved it equally. With their other tracks “Got Me Goin” and the titular “Magic” previously available on SoundCloud, the duo now has filled in the cracks of their EP now with two new tracks, and, as you could probably guess, we're impressed with them. On “Gold”, we receive the same effervescent synths and bubbling energy from the tracks that have preceded it, yet when it comes to “Galaxy”, Paperwhite takes things down a notch. Yes, technically it is the “ballad” of the EP, but it's anything but obligatory. The shift in tempo is a refreshing change of pace that acts to accentuate Katie’s impassioned voice and make it a standout track on the release. While previously covering the band, we wrote that their formula of unabashed and subtlety executed pop would enable them to replicate the success of the singles, and now that we've seen the complete picture of their work, we can attest that they have a resounding triumph on their hands—a triumph you can own for yourself by heading to iTunes right now.
Paperwhite