Electro-synth pop is one of my favourite genres of music and it’s refreshing to see kiwi kids experimenting with it. Computers Want Me Dead, like Kids of 88 and The Naked and Famous, are part of that group of young New Zealanders who are proving that we can make synthpop just as catchy and fun as our British and Germanic counterparts. The Auckland based duo’s self-titled EP is the first of hopefully many releases we’ll see from these guys.
It’s a fun album, with lots of feeling and funk. Opening with their hit single Letters and Numbers, it’s immediately obvious that Computers Want Me Dead have a talent for creating catchy beats. It’s the type of sound that makes you move and hum without even realising you’re doing it, taking hold of you within the first thirty seconds of the album. Their lyrics have a cutesy charm about them. Not surprisingly, they’re songs about girls. Their lyrics aren’t profound or complicated, but they’re not trying to be, nor should they; synthpop doesn’t give the impression of deep thinking philosophers – it’s far too fun.
One hang up I do have with the record is the lack of vocal power. I appreciate that electro pop is a genre born of drum machines and synthesizers, and correspondingly, vocals can sometimes take a backseat. But my favourite synth groups are those that manage to create catchy beats with strong, compelling vocals and I feel that is the one area that Computers Want Me Dead are lacking. It’s not as though these guys have a lack of vocal talent, which can only mean it’s a stylistic choice. I’m sure vocals drowning in auto-tuning synthesizers is a style that a lot of people do appreciate, but I feel like the music would benefit hugely if the boys allowed their raw vocal talent to come through.
Maybe not coincidently, my favourite track by far on the album is the purely instrumental closing track, Fell Down Every Flight. The technical skill is obvious in every beat and jump. They know how to craft fun and happy music, and it’s hard to put in words the way music like that can inject a certain lightness into your step. And that’s really the most important thing about any album, making its listener feel something. The Computers Want Me Dead EP does that and then some. As a debut release, it shows huge amounts of promise for these young musicians and I’m excited to see this record develop into a full length LP.
Words by Kate McCarten
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About the author sidvicious
One of my favourite quotes ever was by a character I hated in a movie I will never understand. “I will be dying and so will you, and so will everyone here. We’re all hurtling towards death, yet here we are for the moment, alive. Each of us knowing we’re going to die, each of us secretly believing we won’t.” If you know who said it, and if you wished it was someone more inspiring, then we might be soulmates. I love music, although that defines nothing about me, because who doesn’t? Favourite artists include Architecture in Helsinki, The Maccabees, The Beatles, The Smiths, Born Ruffians, Joy Division, The Drums, The Rifles, Say Anything, The Libertines, Eminem, Shout Out Louds, Darwin Deez, The Knife, Vampire Weekend, The Cure, The xx, Hellogoodbye, Crystal Castles, MGMT, Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, The Naked and Famous,
