07 10

Looky Looky Flamingo Boots Dark Entries

07.08.17

The white-hot Dark Entries label continues a lengthy run of form with this four-track EP from Detroit duo Looky Looky. Although Dark Entries’ reputation was established by unearthing and re-releasing gnarly post-punk, synth-driven Italo and sumptuous electro; of late the focus has shifted to release more contemporary material.

Flamingo Boots kicks off with I’ll Just Be a Minute, purring along on a supple rhythm that places it somewhere between the soft, almost neo-trance stylings of modern-day cosmic artists like Prins Thomas, and sleek, vintage Aphex Twin. Next up, Nurse Coven Rides Again articulates a slightly harder-edged vision, with industrial aesthetics rubbing up against IDM flourishes, like one of the threads in the mangled tapestry of a Helena Hauff DJ set. All four tracks are in fact maxed-out dancefloor versions of material Looky Looky debuted on a longer release last year, but the bells-n-whistles treatments suits them: the pomp never becomes pompous, and the retro aesthetic doesn’t feel affected. Final track The Handoff – with its fluffy synth clouds and brusque analogue bassline – is maybe the pick of the bunch: a sound that’s overtly located in the hazy 80s gay underground, but somehow sounding fresh and vibrant some 30 years later. Stick it on the playlist.