Ballet School – “Cherish” (Stereogum Premiere)
Berlin trio Ballet School play a strand of ecstatic synthpop that draws heavily on the ’80s and ’90s without ever letting their nostalgia stop them from forging into the future. They were still figuring out how to be wonderfully, inscrutably unique when we last heard them on last summer’s “Heartbeat Overdrive,” a song we described as “‘Emotions’-era Mariah meets the current wave of alt-pop.” Now they’ve signed to Bella Union for full-length debut The Dew Lasts An Hour, and lead single “Cherish” suggests they’ve perfected their aesthetic. The song is so bright and shiny you might have to squint to listen, and Rosie Blair’s unhinged wails are such a jolt of electricity that they could easily power so much luminosity. The rhythm is relentless too. Listen to this thing.
The Dew Lasts An Hour is out 9/9 on Bella Union. Pre-order it in deluxe or standard format.