The official debut from Ice Island, “The General” is a suavely catchy success that infuses twangy guitars with synth-minded nostalgia. The Milwaukee-based project comes via Steven Hawley, formerly the frontman of indie-dance project Codebreaker. This debut follows a 2019 collaboration with synthwave artist Tonebox, the track “Enemies.”
“The General” navigates realms of sophisti-pop, alternative, and synth-pop with ease; its “some days I feel just like the general,” chorus entices replays with confident, melodic charm. The verses and chorus blend seamlessly, while still retaining a degree of separation, especially upon the textural backing expansion past 02:30. “Enemies” and “The General” certainly show as strong debuts from Ice Island.
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“The General” and other memorable tracks from this month can also be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Best of June 2020’ Spotify playlist.
