Cloquet are one of the few exceptions to the rule of mundane electronic indie-pop by the thousands these days. Of course, they come from popular electro producer Paper Tiger and J. Gunderson, less well known, Paper Tiger out of Doomtree. The result is more than what they are trying to be in beat heavy music, meaning, like a twist on the modern Indie genre Cloquet have simple, and unsaturated techno beats, which is counterintuitive in techno.
The kick drums alone on New Drugs stand out helpfully, but just as importantly the happy and cool keys and rhythm strings are uniquely ardent and pleasingly sky-high. Where most bands flail with the same few chords, Cloquet shine with an emotionally energetic and diverse effort all with complex lead parts and vocals on New Drugs. From the upbeat jam of “Breathing” to the mellow and trippy of somewhat lesser “Way Back”, this is what music is all about for true musicians. On “Chances”, a feeling of dryness, as with “Come down sweetness / Why are you running?” it begins in a sentimental and sobering night vibe.
Final track of New Drugs, “Knuckles”, has writhing, and in approach and tempo “New Drugs” or with cosmic home recording vibe “Really Love”, the songs just feels bigger on the lesser like the odd thumping vocal and beat in “Brighter Love”, the middle such as, “Lonely Light” or “Water”, or the great like the crazed daydream of key-heavy “Stars”, “Garden” aforementioned “Really Love”, “Chances”, or “Knuckles”.
Think The Dodos, Atmosphere, and Spoon, and yes of course Paper Tiger, but more than that hence the list of artists they engender. Cloquet Duo has a lot of feeling here at their best, on top of even more fluidity. Especially in “Knuckles” and “Chances”, and the key is they are an indie band which relies on rock tropes, but are so jangly and techno influenced that they come out greater than the sum of these parts.
