INEGO – Departures (2020)
INEGO’s debut album Departures is an eclectic adventure which will take you on a journey across genres and bygone eras. Its disco-indie-pop fusion is full of surprises with driving bass-lines, effortless vocals and soaring guitar licks, all powered by drum beats seemingly never-ending.
The album begins with the moody tune, ‘Je sais ce que tu ressens’, which means I feel for you in French. Perhaps, if only because the song features the spoken French words of Magali Pitt, it evokes the spirit of Serge Gainsborough and sets the mood instantly of coolness and aloofness – a smoky room filled with the sounds of horns. The song’s evocative allure lingers on but is soon usurped by INEGO’s first single from this album, the funky ‘I Need Your Love’.
The song makes quite an entrance; it’s catchy refrain and glittering melody harks back to a time of disco-halls, mirror balls and hairspray for days. Soulful backing vocals by guest singer Ange Lloyd are the icing on an already gorgeously baked cake. ‘I Need Your Love’ epitomises the band’s “retro yet modern” sound as does the later track, ‘We’re Coming Up’.
In the song ‘Phoenix Arizona’, the Manchester band’s Daft Punk influences ring through as they sing: “lose yourself to music, lose yourself to dance”. INEGO cite a plethora of diverse artists as sources of inspiration ranging CHIC to Oasis to Fleetwood Mac. It is no doubt the band’s extensive taste has enriched Departures immensely as the album showcases a seamless blending of musical styles and genres.
The album’s pace slows towards its end and there’s a shift in mood with ‘She Don’t Care’. It edges away from its disco-funk and soul feel towards a more indie-pop sound, slightly less upbeat but still dance-floor material. With INEGO’s last few songs the musical journey is complete as they take listeners ‘Beyond Starlight’ and to ‘Somewhere In The Stars’. These tracks feature memorable melodic hooks and strong vocals.
The four-piece band says their aim with Departures is to get people dancing and whisk listeners away. The album does just that and see’s INEGO flex their musical muscles. It takes you back to the dive-bars and clubs of pre-Covid yesteryear, if only for the time being from the confines of your bedroom.
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