Scottish electronic pop duo Each Confide showcase their expansive appeal on their moving debut album Different Day, Still The Same
Over the last three years, Glasgow electronic pop duo Each Confide have been painstakingly crafting and perfecting a moving and engrossing sound that encapsulates their appeal and charm, emerging out of the vibrant central belt of Scotland and embodying the wealth of creativity and life that surrounds them. These experiences have manifested in the release of their debut album Different Day, Still The Same, a deeply thoughtful collection of tracks that feel like Chris Greg & Craig-Russell Horne at their best.
The album opens with the compelling ‘Swore That We Would Leave It Alone’, a track that gently eases you into the album with its lush arrangements and engrossing build before morphing into the poppy electronica that the duo have made their own, packed full of the warmth and subtle intricacies that they inject into so much of their work, further cementing the love and care that has gone into every facet of the album.
Tracks like the short, fizzy ‘Hold Back’, and the energetic ‘What We’ve Started’ continue to establish the nuanced and all-encompassing nature of their sound, with the later previously ” named as one of the “top 100 Scottish tunes of 2023” in The Herald. The wonderful thing about their sound is that it lends itself to different emotions and themes so effortlessly, capable of eliciting emotional resonance from listeners as much as it has the potential to create danceable, upbeat bangers like the latter track here.
‘I’ follows, harking back to sounds of the 80s with its gorgeously toned synths and impossibly catchy, immersive appeal that feels both fun and engaging while having an experimental and chaotic edge to its busy soundscape. Each Confide’s sound feels almost familiar in its structures and style but with this futuristic glint in the production and soundscapes that almost feels like an evolution and progression on from its influences, making for some really unique and eclectic moments that stand out in bold and exciting ways.
‘I Don’t Wanna Talk About It’ sees the duo enlist Glasgow producer and songwriter ONG! to create an immersive and thoughtful track that serves as one of emotional high-points on an album that is packed full of them. Themes like emotional avoidance and losing your grip emerge throughout the track, and paint a resonating and relatable portrait of some of the pitfalls of modern life.
The track is followed by ‘All I See’, a track swept along by a catchy rhythm that wouldn’t feel out of place on a The 1975 record, the track again sees the duo swinging for the fences in potent, emotive fashion, with the sheer sense of longing and heartfelt passion transcending even the autotune on the vocals to make for a deeply compelling and gripping statement from the duo.
The gorgeous tone of a saxophone (or one of those kinds of instruments, please correct me if I’m wrong lol) provides a palette cleanser of an introduction to the slick and expansive ‘Driving in Cars’, a track that emphasises just how cool and sleek the duo’s sound can feel, and the heights that their retro-futuristic approach can scale to.
There is a moodier and more forthright tone on ‘You & I’, a track that explores a faltering relationship with a kind of claustrophobic intensity and frantic pacing that ups the stakes and feels exciting throughout, whereas ‘Someone Else’ feels much more like an impassioned and heartbreaking take on a similar situation with a powerful and all-encompassing chorus to match that provides another emotional high-point of the album.
Following the emotionally charged and slow-burning ‘One Of A Kind’, we come to the album’s closer and title track ‘Different Day, Still The Same’, a track that eschews the drama and intensity of a lot of the album for a more subtle approach, providing it with a soft and considered ending that actually stands out more thanks to the contrast created between it and the rest of the tracks.
The album at large serves as a potent journey through the trials and tribulations of navigating life as a young adult, delving into themes like mistakes, love, loss and growth with the kind of catchy appeal and innate charm that Each Confide have made their trademark since they formed. Whether you’re looking for emotional narratives, poppy soundscapes, or just a wide range of thoughtful and nuanced tracks that explore a fully realised sound and expand upon it throughout, there is a lot to love here, and the duo have firmly put together their most expansive and powerful collection of tracks to date.
