Foreign Office

If you like funky electronic pop then you will love Foriegn Office. Waves of post-punk vibes and rhythmic beats, over heady electronic grooves; they are hard not to like.

The melodies that Foreign Office bring to the table can feel slightly indulgent. With their nods in the direction of the great pop of the '80s, the phrase 'anything in moderation' just wont do. Tiny infectious phrases run past and I find myself wanting to hear that 'one bit' again and again. It then, of course, figures that their current (and second) single is called 'On Repeat'..."Sst sst stuck on repeat"

The four-piece band are from Hackney, London, which when you hear the African influenced rhythms and jazzy funk bass lines, torn up by the disturbance of what they sing about, their heritage seems completely appropriate. Edgy lyrics, even somewhat unsettling at times, but in it's entirety, understated with elements of being beautifully dark and vibrantly bright, strangely, at the same time.

Their appeal lies in that there is a sense of alienation, their music does, at first, seem unfamiliar. Listening once more the unease frays because you realise that, in fact, it is not too dissimilar overall. There are definitely splashes of other influences. The band have been named beside Roxy Music and Talking Heads; it makes sense. However, Foreign Office, for me, sound far more linear, which in this case, is nothing but good. They have been praised for their energetic performances as well as their conscious music, so Foreign Office are definitely worth looking out for; the excitement factor being that they are new so surely the only way is up.

In this time when most music seems clouded in lackluster synthesizers (because apparently it is 'the thing to do'), it is refreshing to come across a group of musicians who actually know how to use them and move you with their sound. More over, their newly launched label 'Quiet Life' (were you at the launch party?) means that there is zero room for the enforcements that turn great bands into mainstream muck. Foreign Office seem like the kind of band that, in an albums time could be the bench mark, a stand up, applaud, take note, as this is how splashes of electronic should be done, "you better get used to it".

The Foreign Office single 'On Repeat' is OUT NOW!