There’s pop. And there’s rock. The former runs on infectiousness and groove. The latter, on energy and impact. And then, somewhere between the two, walking a fine creative line between those camps, is power-pop, a beautiful hybrid that encapsulates everything great about those two genres. “Turn Off The Lights,” the new one from Brussels based CMON CMON sits perfectly in that small but perfectly formed power-pop space.
Firstly, it puts me in mind, just in general tone and overall sonic shape, of a host of great bands from my own formative years, everything from R.E.M. Gin Blossoms perhaps even House of Love but that is not to say that “Turn Off The Lights” is backward glancing. Anything but!
It is forward-thinking and looking to the future, but there is also a warning hidden somewhere in its shimmering delights and jangling sonics, dense but delicate weaves of guitar, and hazy, heavenly vocals. It seems to fire a shot across the bows of the pop music ship, reminding us of just how great popular, mainstream, chart-bound music used to be before it became all about guest rappers and Instagram followers, dance routines, and marketing meetings. This song’s very presence in the modern musical landscape is a challenge to anyone making pop music and not aiming to be this smart, this deft, dedicated to pursuing the perfect pop song.
Come on (pun intended), people, it’s time to up your game. You have been warned.
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