The new single from London-based pop duo Alpines is a careful study in contrasts. Bob Matthew’s skillful production allows Catherine Pockson’s voice, at once ethereal and robust, to dominate, up until a poignant moment when her voice is swallowed into the background, fading into echo. Â A moment of hush ensues, followed by the profound question “Why is so much left unsaid? This silence is deafening.”
Underlying Pockson’s vocals is the persistent pulse of a male voice “Break it break it down break it break it down,” he repeats, the words becoming increasingly fuzzy and indistinguishable but still forming an undeniable throbbing presence, the source of the singer’s heartbreak.
This track encapsulates the experience of love-entrapment, which is as much anxiety-inducing as heartbreaking. The track is melancholy but it also induces restlessness. It makes you want to move, dance out your sorrows because underneath the full and satisfying melody there is something much more sinister going on.