Melbourne Electronic Duo Close Counters Drop ‘SOULACOASTA II’ LP

February 23, 2023

Melbourne/Naarm-based electronic pair Close Counters have unleashed a follow-up to their 2018 debut album, SOULACOASTA.

The second instalment in the LP series, SOULACOASTA II, is designed to play out like a DJ set, as Close Counters dabble in a number of different musical styles from across the dance music spectrum.

“A 14 track expedition through soul, house, broken beat and beyond“

“We were blown away by the reactions to our first long-form body of work in SOULACOASTA, and still to this day the title track is a favourite in our live show with the full band,” the duo said in a joint statement.

“We now present to you SOULACOASTA II, a colourful sonic journey full of energy for vibrant club floors – sculpted to feel like a one continuous album, almost like a DJ set in itself.”

Close Counters’ Allan McConnell and Finn Rees described the release as a “14 track expedition through soul, house, broken beat and beyond, with the bass and beats driving the vehicle as the synths, keyboards and samples decorate the view.”

The making of this album provided the duo with an opportunity to get “deeper” into dance music, they said. In the process, they explored “niche sounds and samples that we’ve collected from trawling through movies, archives, digging through the crates across Australia, UK and Europe, weaving new inspiration and textures into our music.”

Close Counters have uploaded a music video for the record’s lead single, ‘ONLY ONE’, a song built around a sample from fellow Naarm group, Izy. Shot on 16mm film on location in Melbourne, the clip was directed by Close Counters’ Allan McConnell in partnership with videographer Nathan Guy.

“The concept was inspired by the surrealist dance sequences in I’m Thinking Of Ending Things by Charlie Kaufman and Spencer by Pablo Larraín,” McConnell explained.

“In the clip you’ll see a dancer’s journey emerging from a depressive slump, and finding her purpose through the joy of dance and movement. The feeling we want to inspire is that we can’t be weighed down by the mundanity of things in life and should embrace a child-like sense of wonder like the dancer in the clip.”