I had the wrong idea about Miami Horror when I first heard their name. It was about two years ago, and I was listening to an indie pop station online, not really paying attention to the artist or song title because I was busy doing something else. Then I heard “Real Slow,” and checked to see who was responsible for it. I quirked an eyebrow, because it didn’t seem to fit their sound.
Indietronica, pop, dance, new wave, disco… These are all genres that come to mind when I listen to Miami Horror’s sophomore offering, All Possible Futures. The band’s list of influences includes Talking Heads, New Order, fellow Aussies INXS and Tame Impala, as well as Michael Jackson, Paul Simon, and Fleetwood Mac. You can hear them all in varying moments during this album and strangely, it works in the best possible way.
All Possible Futures is like fresh-squeezed orange juice for your ears. Or a really well-blended Screwdriver. In terms of background music, it’s extremely versatile and not crazy distracting. I found myself not only listening to it at work, but also while I was tidying up my house and doing laundry. Yet I could just as easily work out to it, too. All Possible Futures is catchy, but not so catchy that I get busted by co-workers singing at my desk while wearing headphones. It’s a rare album that can tick all of these boxes for me.
It begins with “American Dream,” which is just sunny, danceable fun. The hook, “Oh… Won’t you listen to yourself?” is so simple, and stays with you long after the song is over. The “ahs” in it make me think of The Radio Dept. This track is just floaty and dreamy, and got its hooks in me right off the bat.
“Love Like Mine” has an 80’s new wave feel to it, and I’m a sucker for a well-done throwback sound. “Cellophane (So Cruel)” reminds me of Disclosure quite a bit, while “Wild Motion (Set It Free)” is pure indie pop deliciousness. With lines like “I don’t know where I began to lose you, I didn’t want to waste the time it takes, to make it straight again, set it free, let it go, ’cause you already know, we’re high again,” it’s destined to be played with the windows rolled down while cruising on a scenic highway.
On “Colours in the Sky,” they marvel, “So many colours fill the sky, so many good things to come, if only they’d always caught my eye, it’s like an explosion.” On “All It Ever Was,” they lament, “It’s all I ever wanted, was something to believe in, that night.” On “Stranger,” I can hear the New Order influence in its synthy goodness, and love the story it tells with lyrics like “There’s nothing left to think or say, you’ll never be that way, you’re a stranger (again)” and “It feels so wrong but it feels so right, when you’re out of mind and out of sight.”
The candy coated songs on All Possible Futures tell varied stories of love and loss, but as a whole the album never gets weepy or takes itself too seriously. It’s a safe bet that I’ll have this gem in my rotation for the rest of spring, the whole of summer, and for the foreseeable future. It’s just begging to be listened/danced/sung along to in the sunshine with a cocktail in hand.
Rating: 4.5/5