Bootblacks
Paradise
Artoffact Records
Paradise is the record that New York’s post-punk trio Bootblacks have been threatening to make for a few years now, lit from the smooth melodics and studio sheen of its predecessor Thin Skies and stoked by extensive touring and the band’s own unique appeal. While those who have seen vocalist Panther Almqvist, synthesist Barrett Hiatt and recently added guitarist Kalle Fagerberg play live will attest to the band’s considerable charms, this is the first time that the band have fully captured that on record, via a considered mix of songwriting, excellent production provided by Xavier Paradis, and the band’s lively delivery.
From its very first moments, when a warbling staccato synth chirp is immediately encased within a sweeping, warm vista of pads and ambience on “Forbidden Flames”, it’s clear that Paradise is a record with a specific musical vision. As opposed to the sprawling, everything and the kitchen sink reach of Thin Skies which seemed to hot-swap genres mid-track at times, there’s no mistaking any of the numbers on Paradise as stemming from anywhere other than this iteration of Bootblacks. Some credit is no doubt due to producer Paradis whose own work as Automelodi presages the album’s glossy mixture of italo disco, darkwave, and art pop.
It’s a natural fit for the band, whose work has always strained against the accepted boundaries of the post-punk sound they were corralled into. The record’s warm and often euphoric disposition works in every configuration, allowing for the groovy mid-tempo bounce (partially contributed by Chris Vrenna) of “Only You” with its smooth sax solo to share space with the wormy disco pulse of “Can You Feel It? (Anymore)”, whose summery, spacey pads give the track’s verses a “From Here To Eternity”-styled sense of intrigue. Even darker or more lowkey moments, such as the Siouxsie-connoting, smoky downward guitar lines of “Wilderness” or the increasingly discordant directions closer “Melt” sprawls out towards, are swaddled in Paradise‘s larger package and aesthetic, maintaining that holistically bright mood.
The secret of Paradise‘s balance of easy-going vibes and rapturous, sneakily-intense climaxes (see “Leipzig” where a steady pace begets some of the most insistent new wave thrills this side of prime-era Duran Duran) is in how it’s a perfect reflection of the strengths Bootblacks have always had. Almqvist has never lacked for vocal presence on stage, and hearing his laconic charm captured so perfectly here is one the LP’s great pleasures. Similarly, sharp programming and chorused-out guitars have always been part of the band’s identity, but their configuration in these these songs is fresh and impressive; listen to the shimmery delays on the lead of the title track, or the way the octave bass of “When You Want” lands around the percussion.
Even accounting for the shifting focus between atmosphere and hooks, the impressive unity of ambition and execution, and its compulsive listenability, this record’s greatest feat is in how it captures the band in the extended, joyous moment in which they’ve fully come into their own. Weird as it is to say for a band of their tenure, Paradise sounds like Bootblacks speaking their native language for the very first time. Highly recommended.
