Jordan Pedersen actually rather enjoys pumpkin spice, thank you very much.
Well shit, summer’s over. The vernal equinox arrived last Tuesday and, with it, the sickening realization that there will one day be a pumpkin spice enema.
No matter. Producer Futurewife, electropop group Sister Girlfriend, and vocalist Tiffany Wan – they’re all from Seattle – are here to keep summer alive with the best defibrillator music has to offer: hot disco beats. Sister Girlfriend vocalist Ryan Batie pleads for someone to keep him warm at night, because he’s heard Ned Stark’s weather report. The vocals are standard disco pablum – intentionally, I’d assume – but Batie’s earnestness sells the track. It’s just like in sketch comedy: if you wanna make a silly character work, you gotta commit.
Full disclosure: Batie and I went to college together. I still remember Batie’s rendition of Radiohead’s “Nude” that he performed with the college a capella group – shut up they were good – and how he squeezed his eyes shut and sang “Now that you’ve found it/it’s gone” with such conviction that Radiohead’s own version still doesn’t do much for me.
It’s that same commitment that elevates the track from a standard disco pop track to something with real heart. But it’s Futurewife’s infectious neu-disco production that makes you want to listen to “Summer’s End” on repeat until Nile Rodgers appears behind you in the mirror: stutter-step hi-hat, punctuative synth washes, and bass convincing enough to make Billie Jean drop the paternity suit. #listentomoredisco
And nestled gloriously at the two-minute mark: the best cheesy sax solo this side of “Midnight City.”
This is the type of shit that makes you want to pile your friends in a car, fill the cooler with Lime-A-Ritas, and watch the sunset on the beach. Who cares if it’s 45 degrees outside?
Futurewife’s If I Could Have You EP is out now on Brilliantine Records. Sister Girlfriend are performing this Friday at 10:30 PM at the Rendezvous in Seattle.
