Groove is in the heartache. At least, that would seem to be the case on the darker side of The Sweet Talkers’ disco ball moon. The OKC band is no stranger to nocturnal beats and misty synths, sounds inspired by past tides of alternative rock in the 2000s and new wave/post-punk in the 80s. Last year’s Electric Affair EP proves such with a portal of cuts that aptly transport listeners to a neon-lit Vegas of moods.
The Sweet Talkers are back with “Mixed Signals”, a new single that further explores the band’s taste for glam and gloom. It officially drops everywhere tomorrow, but you can stream it now at the player below in this Make Oklahoma Weirder early premiere.
Against driving drum rhythms and delicious bass lines, “Mixed Signals” is a moonlit number about the frustrating mysteries that lie in the grey spaces of communication. Just as people can straddle the threshold between baited clues and proper answers, The Sweet Talkers jumps back and forth between streamlined dance rock and fuzzy synthwave. The rhythm section, however, ensures that the groove never falls out of focus, and the lead vocals confidently helm the narrative as it pushes long into the night.
It would have been easy to set loops from band performances in the studio and just copy/paste for much of the song’s duration, but The Sweet Talkers dedicate full recordings that don’t dabble into technology quick fixes.
“Mixed Signals” clocks in at nearly six minutes, causing its verse/chorus repetition to fall into a dark trance over its runtime. For those less inclined to take the full trip, the band has prepared a radio edit that trims down the intro/outro atmospherics. Either way, it makes for a solid jam for those caught in the bleary crosshairs of entangling sweet talk.
A release show for “Mixed Signals” was planned to happen at 51st St Speakeasy this weekend, but all music shows have been effectively cancelled for the rest of the month due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation. To stay in touch with The Sweet Talkers and find out when they’ll be playing again, give the band a follow on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram.
aka Jarvix, the Chief Executive Weirdo of Make Oklahoma Weirder. His out-of-the-box music coverage has been published by the Oklahoma Gazette, KOSU, and The Oklahoman among others. He also makes DIY music as a solo multi-instrumentalist live looper in his spare time.