Nightbus
“Angles Mortz”
Melodic Records
I’m sorry I’ve been keeping this one from you for so long (READ: a week or two), because I’ve been playing it non-stop on my radio show like a selfish little listener.
You never know what’s going to connect with an audience … but Nightbus and their single “Angles Mortz” is one of those songs that get instant feedback whenever I play it.
Maybe it’s the earworm verse-and-chorus, which is bound to get stuck in your head. The haunting voice of Olive Rees floats above this track – not in an angelic way but like it’s a time traveler coming back to warn you before it’s too late. Of what? Who knows. But the title of the track is French for “blind spots” or “death angles,” a warning to look around every corner in the dark sonic universe that this Manchester, England duo is cultivating.
It’s easy to say this track is perfect for dancing late night in a dark goth club. I like to picture it more as the soundtrack for a couple of high-fashion goths in a high- speed getaway chase. Can you hear it? I love a song like this, that can actually conjure an image like that in your head.
It’s highly repeatable and, like a little black dress, kinda goes with anything. It’s part of Nightbus’ debut album, “Passenger,” which just came out of Melodic Records. I haven’t been able to dive into all of it quite yet, but the clubby Western vibe of “False Prophet” is worth noting.
The track is brooding, moody synth pop for fans of the Cure, Joy Division, Nation of Language, New Order — if you like all of those bands at their darkest.
Nightbus is a band to keep your ear on, and “Angles Mortz” is their best work yet in a nascent career.
