Triple Text – “Back and Forth”
Triple Text is a dreampop/electronic band that started out as a brother-sister duo. They have recently released their latest single “Back and Forth” with an included track, entitled “The Start”. On their new project, Triple Text have stuck steadfastly to a dynamic take on dream pop. And, let’s be clear, this is a perfectly good record. It oozes with self-belief and a dogged commitment to perfection. Dream-pop fans are guaranteed to love it unconditionally. The song is a mid-paced power-plod containing a viciously atmospheric hook that allows the vocals to infuse ethereal sounding passion at opportune moments.
“The Start” is an impressive first 4 minutes of this two-song set. It’s pace, structure and emotional temperature sounds impressive, and resonates with persuasive power. The song thickens without building up overwhelmingly, as Triple Text find equipoise and hold it beautifully throughout. The stately, undulating, verse-chorus-verse pop, driven by crisp banging drums circles through the shimmering chords as if they could continue into infinity.
The song seems to contemplate the ephemeral and the eternal within the personal, cycling into an almost metaphysical sounding atmosphere. “The Start” escapes sounding overblown; the female singer’s voice stays humanly perfect, and when an arrangement approaches a crest, Triple Text chooses patience and humility over a big immediate payoff. It is a majestic march, gradually assembling phalanxes of keyboards and bass.
Whether it’s from the breathtaking intricacies or from the slow burn, “Back and Forth” is a track that easily sets itself apart from any other record currently in the genre. It doesn’t have the slackened ascent into a relaxing sort of limbo – its’ blissful, but its banging at the same time, thanks mainly to the powerfully tempered drum programming.
The track is certainly a grower, given its asserting nature blended with a sense of ease. Over repeated listening, the beauty and the underlying vitality begins to poke their heads out amongst the radiant haze, and the duo’s sophisticated musical demeanor crystallizes into their own form of captivating affection.
Though seemingly a very young band, Triple Text arrive on the scene fully formed – the ethereal vocals mixing sublimely with the satin layer of synths and drum machines, built up to an impenetrable, woozy wall. Dream pop has often been somewhat formulaic, but Triple Text seems to have cracked the code, writing insidious hooks.
Whether you want a bleak sentiment of a light release, the beauty in Triple Text music is that you can take it either way and still find the empathy you’re looking for in the music. They capture an intimate charm on “Back and Forth”, and it’s a resolution that feels essential.
