Enough time has passed where we are ready for some early-2010s nostalgia, and that sentiment swirls through our faded n’ jaded headspace as we take Paycheque’s hypnotic new single “Temporary Love” out for an eager spin.
The alluring new city-pop seducer from the Los Angeles duo of Alison Goldfarb and Jackson MacIntosh (TOPS, Drugdealer) has obvious call-backs to nocturnal ’80s synth-pop, in both sound and structure, but we also hear some glossy sonic DNA that transports us to a better time some 15 years ago when bands like Chromatics, Blouse, and Lower Dens were flirting within our glamour-smeared playlists.
A debut record from Paycheque arrives June 12 via Mansions And Millions, and we’re wildly excited to let this new modern-retro sound wash over us in an extended sitting. In the meantime, “Temporary Love” keeps us occupied under the glow of neon blacklight. The song is said to ponder impermanence as it shape-shifts across a hazy aural daydream, and it’s very easy to get lost in the wonderful sounds at play.
It’s an instant entry into our V List series highlighting the month’s best tracks, and playfully flashes its bedroom eyes towards our year-end roundup arriving in December.
“This was one of the first songs we ever started writing together, and it was the last one we finished for the record,” the project states. “Jane Penny from TOPS came over to our house and graciously contributed some flute and background vocals to this song, and that really helped tie it together. This song is about embracing impermanence. We think this song has a bit of a city-pop flavor in terms of the arrangement and nods heavily to YMO with the vocoder backing vocals on the chorus.”
Quite lovely, quite necessary.