There are lots of acts pulling out synthesizers and performing smooth, disco-dance sounds – it’s not just the terrain of relaxed ravers anymore, but instead it rubs its shoulders with the otherwise absolutely dissimilar garage-rock sound right in Brooklyn. It’s become so successful and ubiquitous that it’s hard to stand out these days, but Brooklyn’s own Small Black does that on Limits of Desire, not with radically different sounds or interpretations, but by skillfully doing what they do best.
“Free At Dawn” opens up the record, and it’s a well-chosen opener, expanding nicely as the sun rises over dew. From there on, Small Black brush up against the Limits of their Desire, but it’s a smooth brush, not clawing at what they can’t have, rather running fingers along the horizon. The record is somewhat better when it goes lovely in loss (“Sophie”, “Limits of Desire”) than some of the more run-of-the-mill disco-light pieces, but can even settle into the evening with “Only a Shadow”.
Limits of Desire does not break the limits of the ‘chillwave’ sound that still storming the indie-sphere. Instead, it accepts the literal Limits to what Small Black Desires (like the semi-separated lovers on the album cover), and rather excels inside its bubble.
Small Black – Free At Dawn
