A record of everything red and green in Amsterdam. Long time friends Saux and Sjaak sound like a Frenchman and a Viking, but they’re actually a pretty smooth indie-pop musical duo from the Netherlands. ‘And, Balance / Control’ is a short series of romantic episodes played out on the cobbled and water-filled streets of Amsterdam.
In keeping with the city’s notoriously red rouge character, the songs map out love between the thighs and between the eyes. Throughout, sex is coupled with all the difficulties and complications that it inevitably brings; like putting names on things, wanting more from someone and dependency. The EP opens with ‘Nights Never End’ a sultry, passion-filled song about intimacy and yearning, and closes with ‘Garden’, a gleeful song about wanting ‘it’.
Across 7 tracks and just 19 minutes, City Park creates a clear and realised style. It’s loose-yet-lucid, smooth-yet-groovy; something that reminds me of Justin Timberlake’s Future Sex Love Sounds in the best possible way, but perhaps owes more to The Weekend.
Moreover, it’s a decidedly urban record. Through production and writing, there’s a clear airiness and relaxed vibe that you’d perhaps associate with the green side of Amsterdam more than the red or blue. This comfortable space compliments the reflective and introspective style of lyrics and makes the record overall a cathartic and therapeutic listen.
In such comfort, there’s understandably not a huge amount of variation on the EP, but this barely detracts the listener from appreciating it. Balance / Control is 19 minutes of your day where you can take a break in the park, maybe
Haiku Review
City Park map out
love between the thighs and eyes;
It’s complicated.
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