Double Line

Album review

Warm, romantic '80s-style synth pop meets the icy sonic textures of Blade Runner-era Vangelis on this pleasing debut from Dragon Inn 3, an electronic project led by Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin's Philip Dickey. Initially sparked by an invitation to contribute the theme song to the EP for Marcus' 2012 short film Ghoul School, Dickey recruited his wife, Grace Bentley and sister Sharon Bowie to collaborate on what would become the project's first EP that same year. Over the next six years the Kansas City-based trio toiled slowly on a full-length, finally emerging with Double Line, a surprisingly robust collection that is as cinematic as it is playful. Rich analog synths and pulsing dark basslines underscore Bowie and Bentley's sweet vocals on highlights like the sprightly "What Kind of World Are You Living In" and the lush "Bad Boy," while the all-instrumental "Double Line Theme" has all the hypnotic action of vintage Giorgio Moroder track. A harkening back to the classic feel of '80s pop and dramatic synth soundtracks (think Stranger Things' ominous tones) is nothing new in 2018, but amid Dragon Inn 3's more overt nostalgia is some wonderfully sharp songwriting and tasteful studio craft.
© Timothy Monger /TiVo