Geographer – Animal Shapes

When the indie kids put down their guitars and start toying around with synthesizers and drum machines, more often than not it comes out a little dampened. Sad electro-pop was always a ‘thing’ but not nearly to the brooding, pacing-around-the-empty-bedroom levels of slow-burning angst that bands like The Postal Service and Junior Boys brought to the table. Geographer have the same idea; the songs that make up their latest EP Animal Shapes all have the playful, up-and-down, post-chiptune balladry that only serve to punctuate Mike Deni’s heartsick laments. He talks a lot about an abstract “you” which, naturally, is always some sort of former lover, current lover, or unrequited late-night-text-message lover. They sound like a deflated Passion Pit, the screams of euphoria or amped, future-club fist-pumping are nowhere to be found, and that makes Geographer sound more like a rock band going through an electronic phase. The crisp violin that appears on a number of the tracks hints at a penchant for folk the band might be paving over. There’s nothing striking about Geographer, but their carbonated synth loops and open-air production make them instant, sugary, ear-candy. And sometimes that’s all you need.