An alluringly heartfelt synth-pop sound compels throughout Fabulously Melancholy, the newly released album from Plastic Hacks. A Philadelphia-based project comprising identical twins Bryan and Brandon Peach, Plastic Hacks balance approachably melodic productions with personal introspection — spanning thematically from musings on suffocating, identity-stripped careers within “Absurd Ritual” to the sense of blurred identity in “Meet You in Chelsea.” Conjuring an aesthetic that reminds fondly of Pet Shop Boys and LCD Soundsystem at points, the release excels in its simultaneous grappling of nostalgic comforts and modern-day reckonings.
Opening the album, “Absurd Ritual” builds with climactic allure — moving from distorted, sporadic pulses into a more radiant synth entrancement. The initial lyrical perspectives convey a more carefree adolescence — “red and blue animals dance in a circle around you,” — amidst a free-spirited ethos. A soaring vocal disposition enamors thereafter, into a wordless elongation that melds with atmospheric synths for a replay-inducing vigor. Lush guitar injections at mid-point bring forth that New Order inspiration, wonderfully. The culminating lyrics of “when you gave up the hunt to stack invisible towers,” invokes relatable themes of progression from childhood whimsy to drowning in the workflow of adulthood; the opening track is an apt starting point in its thematic depictions of doom and gloom following initially bluer skies.
The ensuing “Slow Glow” stirs in its dreamy vocal tones and reflective synth glistening. Lyrical perspectives of efforts within perseverance — “I’m trying…” — move seamlessly within buzzing synth momentum, adorned by more effervescently serene tonal complements. “Can’t find myself sometimes, feels like dying,” the vocals admit further, poetically capturing emotions of overwhelming expectations and resulting grief, in a fast-moving world with a growing tendency for more bite-sized forms of communication. “When I try to write another tired metaphor, compare the way I feeling now to how I felt before,” the vocals invoke a fourth wall of sorts, referencing the songwriting process and emotions’ impact with artful precision.
Sounding like a cross of Pet Shop Boys and LCD Soundsystem in its stylish, talk-singing charm, “Meet You in Chelsea” exudes a “Rent”-esque prowess in its shifting from spoken-word emanations to a melodic hook within an emotively urban setting. “She’ll meet you in Chelsea, someday soon,” a wistful vocal presence exudes within twinkling, magnetic synths — conveying hope and yearning within a world caught up in superficiality and status. An array of other highlights prove memorable through — including the punchy time-rewinding infectiousness of “Get It Together” and the bass-y Erasure-like “Eight Straight Days of Fresh Hell.” A thoroughly successful album from Plastic Hacks, Fabulously Melancholy ultimately resonates as a cathartic synth-pop odyssey — one that dances through disillusionment with anthemic grace, while never losing sight of the aching humanity at its core.
