Erlend Øye’s forays into dance music tend to come out backwards: first, his one-off DJ Kicks compilation was way more popular than his original solo album, Unrest; now his collaboration with German DJ Marcin Oz has morphed from an electronic duo into a decidedly minimalist pop group. Their new mantra — no electronics, effects, or editing — might align The Whitest Boy Alive more with Øye’s most well known group, Kings of Convenience, but this four-piece band is more new wave throwback than folk ensemble. It’s also the first time we get to hear Øye play with a real drummer, which lets him indulge in all his Cure and Smiths-aping fantasies without any genre constraints. The stripped down style gives the record a tossed-together feel, but the songs are promising: fun, danceable, and centered around Øye’s lazy vocals and creative guitar playing. Sure, they may be the last band to catch on to recycling the 80s, but they’re definitely well versed in how to do it.
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