New Music: Chandeen x De/Vision x Bittersweet Dance Club – Back In Time

From a conversation to a song to an album, Bittersweet Dance Club have been on quite a journey – and it’s a rewarding one for fans of melodic rock.

Back In Time is from their self-titled album, and the song does have a retro feel to it, but when it triggers memories of acts of the calibre of Kent or The Psychedelic Furs, is that such a bad thing?

As a band, Bittersweet Dance Club is centred on Steffen Keth of De/Vision and Harald Löwy of Chandeen, with the album also featuring vocals from Heather Elle (FLOSSING, Bodega) on three of the tracks.

I’m familiar with all three bands, especially the dream pop of Chandeen and the sophisticated electronic pop of De/Vision, so while I knew anything they collaborated on would be high quality and well-crafted. I didn’t expect it to be so indie and effervescent, even if I knew it would be entertaining and pleasurable to hear as a listener.

Also, I didn’t expect to be instantly hooked by Back In Time, though. Keth and Löwy know how to write crowd-pleasing songs that have emotional depth to them, music that is built to last but also engage the listener, but they’re often thoughtful numbers.

Back In Time is that and much more – yes, it will undoubtedly send you on a trip down memory lane, but it’ll be an enjoyable and rewarding one. There’s no indication as yet of Bittersweet Dance Club translating the album into a live experience, but if they do, it’s certain to be an unmissable one.

Bittersweet Dance Club was released on the 13th of February and can be streamed on Spotify and SoundCloud, as well as Bandcamp, where it is also available to download.