Rating: NNN
Datarock are a couple guys from Norway who make fun, bouncy, new-wave-inspired electro-pop. It’s worth noting, though, that they’re much more pop than electro. There may be plenty of drum machines and synths, along with the ubiquitous 80s pop culture lyrical references, but very little of this would cross over at the typical dance party.
If the pop hooks and songwriting are their strengths, it’s the lip service they pay to contemporary indie dance trends and retro fetishism that holds them back. The shout-out to BMX bikes is cute, but by the time they work their way through Commodore 64s, ET and Molly Ringwald, you have to question their sincerity.
Datarock play at the Kool Haus Saturday (October 20).
