All the Damn Vampires happened upon my radar when James Hart of Eighteen Visions posted he had written and sung a song on their release. Being a huge fan of James and 18V, I headed right on over and gave his track a listen and fell in love wit it.
Hoping the rest of Synth City was going to be good, I hit play on the album and walked through Sydney.
Hello 80’s dream!
As I walked through the streets of Sydney at night, it became clear this entire album is the perfect 80’s soundtrack to a romantic movie. I could not have asked for a better musical companion that evening. All the Damn Vampires was it. Period. Full stop.
All the Damn Vampires was founded in 2019 by Davey Oberlin (Korn, Winds of Plague) and is described as a synth lovers dream. With strong emphasis on nostalgia, chill inducing guitar leads, and webs of neon bliss. These modern synthpop act creates a cinematic and mesmerizing aesthetic vibe.
Synth City features vocals from Mint Simon, Josh Daily, Frye, U Dye, and James Hart and each voice compliments the music beautifully.
“Saturday” is a lovely upbeat bop and the lyrics are so visually descriptive you can see them come to life as the song plays. Bonus the video for it (below), matches the vibe of the song. If “Saturday” is the memory of a love lost, then “London” is the response to that lost love. The two songs are a perfect back to back companionship. A call and response of heartfelt emotions.
Mint is featured on 6 of the tracks and their vocals shine through. As a child of the 80’s, “Out of Love” could have been pulled right out of the era or a Kylie Minogue record from that time. It’s infectious, upbeat, and fun. Continuing the vibe, “I Can’t Go” might as well have been on Debbie Gibson‘s debut album and it immediately threw me back in time. Mint and Davey nail emotional heartbreak in the ballad with “Pacific Coast Heartbreak”. The duo covers and elevates Litany’s “Bedroom” with elegance and grace. The last song to feature Mint, “Micro Dose” is a song you can groove and dance too. It gives me Madonna “Get in the Groove” vibes. The entire track is pure funk.
Landing in between two songs that feature Mint, “Fall into Each Other (Summer’s Last Kiss)” features Frye and could have easily gotten lost on the album, but it flows so beautifully into “Pacific Coast Heartbreak” that it starts the “story” that the latter ends. The song is delicate, airy, and delightful.
“Strange World” featuring U Dye is classic, and I mean classic 80’s. It screams to me Tears for Fears and Crowded House vibes. From music to lyrics, this song is a perfect anthem and sing along.
The final track, the song that introduced me to all things All the Damn Vampires, “Runaway Dream” is sheer perfection. It gives me all things 80’s. I hear hair metal, glam, and the damn bass is something John Taylor of Duran Duran would write. I am obsessed with this song. When I listen to this song, I immediately think of the scene in Lost Boys where Michael and Star lock eyes. This is the song that should have been playing in that scene.
FAVOURITE TRACK: “Runaway Dream”
MUST LISTEN TRACK: 3 way tie “Runaway Dream”, “Strange World” and “Micro Dose”
Watch “Saturday”
Photo Credit: All the Damn Vampires Facebook
