Album Review: Strange Talk - Cast Away

Touring the country this month to celebrate the release of their debut album, Cast Away, there is nothing particularly strange about Strange Talk. The pretty boy quartet from Melbourne sound as though they have travelled through time from the '80s to give us their take on feel-good party starting synth pop.

The album's opener and title track primes us for adventure with irresistible hooks and solid beats that whirl us about the electro-pop dance floor. It's not long before the lads get all teenage lovesick on us with Falling In Love – pure '80s neon on pastels trapped in a high school romance that's bound to end in tears. No surprises that moments later they should be Picking Up All The Pieces. Strange Talk may follow in the steps of Bag Raiders, Van She and Cut Copy but there is something so nostalgic about their music that it will take older listeners back to the days of Pseudo Echo, Wa Wa Nee and to some extent even Kajagoogoo. The obligatory ballad, Come Back Home, spins a more melancholy vibe that kind of echoes the Uncanny X-Men in one of their more mellow moments. They might not have big hair but it's easy to see Strange Talk posing on a cover of Smash Hits.

Unlike a lot of their indie dance contemporaries, Strange Talk are joyously upbeat at all times, unashamed to toss a little cheese into the mix and pummel us with beats that irresistibly lead to the dancefloor. Glossy production just makes everything sound bigger, brighter and bolder. “If we make it through the night, watch the morning sun”; you will probably leave this one with a smile on your face.