“Unapologetically a pop band” – Manchester three-piece MODELS give us all-killer, no-filler with their new 80s-inspired track ‘Thriller’.
Fittingly released on Valentine’s Day, it’s a song about the intoxication of a newly found romance with all the trappings of a 1980s movie soundtrack. Think the Brat Pack classics – The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, St Elmo’s Fire et al.
Opening with jazzy piano notes and underlying synths – there’s a sprinkle of echoey finger clicks before the unmistakable 80s gated-reverb drumbeat kicks in. With funky guitars and a beautifully bluesy bassline there’s a smooth R&B quality to this tune.
Crooning vocals sing of where this new exciting tryst could go and there’s a hopeful anticipation that this relationship could be the start of something truly better for the singer..
“We could be a thriller baby”
“Oh you thrill me baby / And I wanna thrill you”
If we’re following the recipe right, there’s only one thing missing – a saxophone solo. And guess what? This tune has it! It’s bright and melodious, yet retains that echoing reverb aspect – giving us the cool synth-pop experience so synonymous with the decade. It brings to mind, the kind of song that would probably appear as a track on one of Duckie Dale’s achingly romantic mix-tapes (à la 1986’s Pretty in Pink).
It’s somber yet sweet. Heavy-hearted yet hopeful. A deliciously dark ode to a new lover and a Manchester band to watch for sure.