Payfone – Sofian

BANDCAMP

SPOTIFY

SOUNDCLOUD

Having lit up sunsets and sunrises the world over with their first outing on Leng, the deliciously Balearic ‘Last Night in Sant Celoni’, Payfone has opted for a more sensual and seductive sound on their triumphant follow-up.

Phil Passera and Jimmy Day are in fine form on ‘Sofian’, a deep, chugging and intoxicating affair topped off by a sleazy and breathy, half-sung and half-spoken vocal from Barbara Alcindor, previously of hugely successful European chart-toppers French Affair.

As with previous Payfone productions, no samples were used in the creation of the track. Instead, Passera and Day focus the action around hypnotic, slow-motion machine drums and a brilliant analogue synthesizer bassline that will quickly worm its way into your subconscious.

On top of this the pair has layered up warming chords, languid boogie-style guitar riffs, colourful synthesizer lines, hand percussion and mazy Wurlitzer electric piano solos played by guest musician Phil Marten. It’s an undeniably alluring combination of musical elements that offers a clever counterpoint to the barely hidden melancholia within the track’s surprising lyrics.

Jimmy Day delivers the flipside ‘Loyal Mix’, a slightly brighter and more vivid interpretation that gives extra weight to the track’s razor-sharp guitar riffs and kaleidoscopic synth sounds. The result is a weighty, synth-powered dub disco workout that makes a fine accompaniment to one of Payfone’s most dramatic and addictive songs to date.

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