The Shoes – Submarine
The Shoes – Submarine (2015)
Karim Huu Do
Picking up shards of mid-nineties UK trance, swirling new wave, the ferocity of EDM and the bubbling noir terror of coldwave, the duo reassemble their electronic fantasies into an unabashed electro pop puzzle.
The roll call of featured vocalists includes Blaine Harrison from Mystery Jets, Esser, SAGE and Black Atlass. On an album where where shoes refuse to court emotional balladry, instead setting their sights on the party lights, creating a world where Frankie Goes To Hollywood is played back to back with Aphex Twin.
It’s this leftfield pop prowess that has seen them fly since the success of their debut album, 2011’s Crack My Bones, into a wealth of star-studded projects. Sound tracked by their first singles, ‘People Movin’’, ‘Stay The Same’ and the inescapable ‘Time To Dance’ – which featured Jake Gyllenhaal as a sociopathic murderer in a video now topping 7 million views – they garnered 4 UK MVAs with Bret Easton Ellis claiming it as his video of the year. The pair now have a mantelpiece heavy with accolades and a collaborator list that keeps on growing.
As producers Guillaume and Lebeau work both as individuals and as a pair. Together they’ve added The Shoes remix touch to everything from Shakira’s ‘Loca’, Cerrone’s hymn ‘Supernature’ featuring Beth Ditto, London Grammar’s ‘Hey Now’ for a Jean-Baptiste Mondino film, label mate Woodkid’s now platinum album ‘The Golden Age’ and none other than Pharrell William’s ‘Happy.’
For Chemicals, The Shoes don’t care where it’s played, be it a sticky lino dancefloor, parquet covered concert hall or in your living room on a worn out carpet. This is an album that works in any setting. Just make sure you turn the volume UP…..
