Beat Connection - Product 3

Beat Connection
Product 3
2015

If you have been looking for a mind meld of House, R&B, Funk, and Indie rock than Beat Connection is for you. There are times when you would swear that they are a funk band then others where they seem completely Indie. With this sort of sound you would swear that things would seem completely disjointed, but they blend it all so well together that it is seamless. "Illusion" the lead single from the record really encapsulates all of this. Is it Odesza during the bridge? Is it a silky smooth R&B act on the vocals? The answer is no, it's all beat connection. There is also a great energy on this record, super upbeat while never trying to hard. That balance of crafting something great but making it seem like you don't give a fuck is something that Beat Connection excel at. If they showed up plugged in a few wires and made something incredible it really would not shock you. "Reality TV" takes the whole nu-disco idea by the horns and runs with it making something you could absolutely dance to, but also a song that will please your fickleist of Indie friends.

If there is any flaw in this record is it possibly in the slower songs like "Air Conditioning". When the group slows the tempo down the vocals thrive but the overall energy seems to dissipate. The album also does lose some steam towards the end, which is understandable with music this complex and engaging. By the time the last three songs roll around you have been hit with so much goodness that a gentle slide into the end is exactly what the doctor ordered. Product 3 is the beginning of really big things for the Seattle group. Get ready to hear a whole lot more from Beat Connection in the coming months and also get really fucking excited about it.

8.4 out of 10