Guess who’s back, back again…the guys that had a song featured in Shallow Hal!

A lot of artists these days are fascinated with creating 80’s inspired material.  Half of which is outstanding.  The other half is really bad Toto impersonations, which is more of a chore than it sounds.  The trick is to find ways to keep the sound fresh and contemporary.  If you can, you’ve the caught lightning in a bottle.  Phoenix’s latest single, “J-Boy,”  has managed something quite  extraordinary: not only is it modern, it still sounds like Phoenix.  Isn’t that bloody genius ?  (Oh, the French.)   Much like Phoenix’s  last effort, “J-BOY,” an acronym for Just Because of You, is incredibly composed of synths and  suave drum machines.  Where other artists might have a more mechanical result with such instruments in their arsenal,  these crafty gentleman worked hard to keep the sound fantasy-esque and decidedly romantic.   

“J-Boy” tells the story of a one-sided romance between a poor boy and a wealthy uptown girl, fitting the story of their new LP, Ti Amo, a pseudo-concept album set against the backdrop of a dystopian future in “Post-Romantic Italy.”  They’re French.  They can get away that sort of stuff.  (Sorry, not sorry Imagine Dragons.)  Frontman Thomas Mars’ vocal delivery, which  although appears to be laidback at certain points, finds its place above the instrumentation, a large part due to the production.  Overall, “J-BOY” is a lush, Summery, Pop tune that balances the fine line between obscurity and polished perfection, building excitement for the summer release of Ti Amo.

5 out of 5 stars

Phoenix’s LP Ti Amo is due June 9, 2017.