MLGG: Pop Culture News, Reviews and Interviews

The warmth and long days of summer may be nowhere to be found at the moment, but the guys from Goodvibes Sound are here to bring that mood back with their debut album, The Institute.

First, some background. Angus and Alex are the friends and bandmates behind Goodvibes Sound; despite only starting to create music together in 2019, they’ve already played on the main stage at The Big Weekend, have shared the bill with the absolutely legendary Nile Rodgers & Chic – and have been played on BBC Radio too.

It’s fair to say that their ascent has been swift, but just listening to The Institute gives a clear indication as to why they’re on the road to big things.

Their shimmery, summery, psychedelic pop sound is infectiously upbeat and full of catchy hooks.

From the hypnotic album opener You Will Find onwards, The Institute has you in its dreamy grasp. Second track Stay For One More Night feels weirdly atemporal, a proper psychedelic 60s pop song that’s 60 years away from its natural habitat; it’s gorgeous stuff.

A similarly time-displaced feel infects the wonderful All My Life, which sounds like an early synth pop band dropping the sound of the summer. You can easily imagine it going up against Depeche Mode in the charts, back in the summer of ’81.

That’s definitely the feel of much of the album; though each track varies in tempo and style, whether it be guitar or synth-led, there’s a classic pop ambience that’s refreshing to hear in 2022; none of it feels cynically produced or simply there to make up the numbers either.

My favourite track on the album is – after much deliberation – probably Sane or Sinner, a shiny, synthy track with a killer baseline.

The climax of the album – The Storm – will leave you wanting more of this unique melting pot of pop; I guess there’s always the option to go back to the beginning and listen to it all again, for now.

You can listen to – and see the cleverly minimal visualizer of – The Institute by Goodvibes Sound on YouTube here:

Thanks to Laury for the band info and advance listen of the album tracks. The Institute by Goodvibes Sound is out now and can be listened to on SoundCloud here.