Beatnik Party – St Michaelmas Danse (Part Two) (2022)
Through their music, Beatnik Party are taking us back in time to a musical style packed with beat poetry and a hint of modernity in ‘St Michaelmas Danse (Part Two). Jumping across genres, the band drops you in a smoky coffee house of pre-British Invasion music where clanging instrumentation replaces the bongos of the past. Adding a touch of new wave and lo-fi to their sound, the single has you thinking about someone who draws your attention, whether you want them to or not.
With music that makes it seem like there are a lot more of them, Michael David Henry (bass, vocals) and Jenyr Rama (drums) truly transport you to another time. The duo first met after a show by Henry’s death rock band Jonestown Julep, but the band only took off years later in 2000. While they first performed with a number of drummers, the couple’s frustration ended when Rama became the permanent drummer for the band.
‘St Michaelmas Danse (Part Two)’ uses a sweeping melodic motion to draw you into the running tap of the beats. There is a wonderful mixture of retro and modern that seeps through the opening of the melody. You can feel the post-punk touches of the past as it mixes with something that is undeniably contemporary. This is all given a lo-fi wash to soften the drive of the music while retaining the hook that draws your attention. The guitars swirl with an almost psychedelic edge, like the warbling and wavering colours of a time long past. It is a really masterful melody that takes the best elements of the past, superimposes them on contemporary vibes and weaves it all together for a movement that captures your mind from the first sweep to the final note. The instrumental sections carry the overall feeling of the single, picking up where the vocals end to carry you to the next push of the lyrics.
As you are riding the high of the blended melody, the vocals bring a punch of slam poetry with a hint of rock through the delivery. The poetry of the lyrics hits the back of your brain, filling it with the undeniable attraction you feel to someone, whether they notice you or not. At times, the vocals gain a slight roughness that scratches across your skin in the best possible way. Through Henry’s performance, you are transported back in time while sinking into a situation and experience that is truly timeless.
Beatnik Party blurs the lines between the past and present with their sound as they mix beat poetry with touches of psychedelia, rock, lo-fi and post-punk in ‘St. Michaelmas Danse (Part Two)’. The melody really drives the single, as it captures your senses and bridges the gaps between the poetic lyrics. Henry’s vocals slam into you with a powerful sense of power as he drops you into an age-old situation.
Find out more about Beatnik Party on their website, Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
