If you’re anything like me, you’re fervently waiting for the day when Top 40’s oonst-oonst-oonst phase passes all the way through Mumford & Sons territory and into something with a bit more staying power (note to Avicii: your moment is over. Or at least I hope to God it is). And wouldn’t it be great if the future of pop music also drew from its past — or, more specifically, the earthy trip-hop vibe that saturated much of the ’90s. Of course, if artists like London-based “night pop” duo Alpines have anything to do with it, the deep and funky electronics of that era are definitely on the way back in. And once they’re in, let’s hope they provide us pop-lovers with a musical “Oasis” all the way from our home stereos to our airwaves.
Whether or not Alpines ever makes it to commercial radio in the States, however, there’s no question that the May release of their upcoming debut is an event to anticipate, especially if even half of it is as good as “Oasis.” Like any good album-preview of a single, this track is all about foreplay, warming up slowly with electronically buzzing keyboards and a sensuous beat. Then, the addition of Catherine Pockson’s honeyed vocals and an undercurrent of jungle-y percussion catapults the song into so-smooth-you-wanna-git-jiggy-wit-it country, a land whose casual beauty is pervaded by a rhythmic sense of calm. In short, this track lives up to both its name and its function, providing an aural “Oasis” until Alpines’ first LP graces us this May.