Altın Gün - Gece

Altın Gün
Gece
2019
Spotify

Sometimes when you are trying to write a review for all 167 groups playing Coachella you run into some unexpected gems. That is where I found myself when Gece the second album from dutch six piece came across my desk. The album wastes no time opening straight into it's psychedelic rock interpretation of traditional Dutch folktunes. This makes for odd seeming bedfellows, but in practice the combo really works. This album feels like it is straight from the 60s but only came out in 2019. Now usually when I say this it is to deride the album for being derivative, but Altın Gün manage to sound completely their own while still referencing a certain age in pop music. It leads to a really effortless feeling album, almost with a live recording vibe. They manage to bounce between chill and upbeat without a care in the world, leaving so much space for anything to happen. It feels like at times you are watching a slick movie from the 70s that never got much traction, but had a killer soundtrack. You can almost see the cars screeching around the roads or beautiful people charging through a city in beautiful clothes. There is a frantic energy on songs like "Sfor Bey" that are infectious but give way to other more meandering tracks like "Derdimi Dokersem". I think what sets this record apart is how they blend in the electronics without allowing them to overpower the album. "Supurgesi Yoncadan" is super bleep bloopy, but it is all for a point rather than just to make noise.

This record may not be for everyone but it is so different that it really is quite exciting. You'll find yourself nodding your head even if you didn't mean to, that's just how catchy this record is. Don't sleep on these guys.

8.3 out of 10