A Byron Bay band without a single dreadlock among them? Meet Polaroid Fame, a snap-friendly (pun intended) five-piece armed with a whole array of vintage New Romantic hooks and with a sound glossier than hair gel. Keen to surf the last wave of ‘80s revival before the noughties are well and truly over, PF’s debut CD We Live Your Life does an admirable job of sounding more like the real thing than massively popular Modular acts like Cut Copy while staying relatively “modern”.
The opening title track channels Rio-era Duran Duran with its funky bassline, clipped guitars and singer/guitarist Frankie Kimpton’s heroic intonation, Wanna Know is an even more party-friendly stomper and the falsetto-peppered Caught On Film could have very well been Girls On Film pt.2 if it didn’t have a different tune. The combo’s musicianship is solid (Bowie’s New Jacket features an unabashedly ecstatic old-school guitar solo) and their overall pop sensibility is rather top-notch (Face Off sounds like the best song Spandau Ballet have never written) throughout; already festival-tested at Splendour In The Grass, there’s no reason why PF can’t be this year’s – or next year’s, seeing as 2009 is nearly over – models. Galvatrons who?
(Chord Accord)
Review Score: 7/10
