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Music

Polarheart delve into consistently euphoric electronic pop

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Hey, know any good electronic pop artists? Yeah, well add another to your list because Sydney-siders Polarheart are seriously amazing. Mary and Chris are riding a wave of four terrific singles, their latest, Dystopia, is a fully accomplished track to stand alongside any popular artist you could name.

Polarheart introduction

Like your favourite actor, Polarheart combine style and substance with ease to produce electronic pop that could be classed as a luxury item.

Characterised by dreamy vocals and spectacular production levels, Polarheart formed in 2014 after the duo started writing together in 2013, having previously played alongside each other with different acts. Mary and Chris draw on a range of musical influences, with classical training in common. They’ve quickly established themselves as a confident and accomplished band that make abstract sounds into seamless, relatable pop songs.

Their debut single Paralyse received over 70,000 hits on Soundcloud and is probably their ‘sweetest’ song. It’s a richly textured, multi-layered, sugary success in which Mary’s voice effortlessly hooks you in. 0:10-0:16 can only be summed up by saying Nina Las Vegas might have a rival for sexiest voice on radio. Not only has Paralyse been played in Australia, but also on the UK and US airwaves. What a way to start their career!

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Following that came Livealie, a song that received airplay on Triple J and was featured at the Mercedes Benz Fashion Festival Sydney 2015. Already the single saw a tremendous amount of growth and experimentation from Polarheart. Livealie is musically a darker and creepier affair, infused with life and attitude. However, lyrically Mary strays away from the abstract into a more pop-focused delivery to create quite a beautiful and interesting song. With this type of sound exploration so early in their career, Polarheart promise a lot.

The next single to be released was Hypnotise, early in 2015. Let’s be honest. By this stage Polarheart had delivered so many hits they may as well be a drug albeit one there’s no harm in being addicted to. Mary’s voice finds the perfect middle ground between deep and high on this one. Hypnotise is a steadier song falling somewhere between the previous two. It’s floaty and brings along some sad vibes, but it’s still full of depth and density. It’s also another step up musically, perfectly executing the more languid, melancholic mood. This song also received plenty of Triple J airtime.

The band has been active on the live music scene as well. They’ve played gigs across Sydney at the Oxford Art Factory and FBI Social as well as the recent Marmalade Skies Festival.

Not wanting to lose momentum, Polarheart very recently dropped their new single, Dystopia. The band say this one is about being trapped in a situation, which you know is wrong, but being unable to escape. It is about someone, or something, making you feel like you’re stuck in a perpetual nightmare, stuck in your own personal dystopia. “After weeks of writers block, we set ourselves a challenge…. to write something terrible. With this, the pressure of writing our next single melted away, and we came up with Dystopia,” they say.

The awesome production on Dystopia only confirms the talent that was realised with the previous three singles. To denote the skill employed here, one has to use the word crafted. Every beat, synth, and effect has been mapped into place with precision. Mary can take you to the clouds or down to the dungeon. Both journeys are exhilarating. There’s an awesome moment when the songs cuts right away to leave Mary’s vulnerable voice standing alone before the song builds back up and launches again. Polarheart make you feel warm.

All we can do now is appreciate the genius of these songs and look forward to an album, which promises to be nothing short of fantastic when it eventually comes. Mary sings “Let me know if we’re on/let me know if we’re off.” Well, Polarheart are off to stardom and I’m onto their every move.

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