Darling Democrat (Independent)

When 16mm singer Matthew Moldowan announces, in “Darling Democrat”, “We’re taking romance back for fallen comrades” and follows that up with “I saw fire on the dance floor”, it seems a bit crass. It’s all well and good to use warfare as a metaphor for the mating game, but no one gets killed over a misunderstood I Saw You ad. Well, not usually. Still, the song’s musical strengths are considerable. A steady rhythmic pulse topped with gritty guitars and Moldowan’s delightfully affected vocals (imagine Jarvis Cocker channelling Bryan Ferry), the song sounds like something the Editors might come up with if they gave up their earnest pose long enough to embrace disco.

There’s not much else on this Dave “Rave” Ogilvie–produced EP, which is a taster for a forthcoming full-length—just a horn-augmented funk number (“Dropped”), a grandiose power ballad (“Weep”), and a seriously cheesy ’80s-style dance remix of “Darling Democrat”—but it’s an intriguing introduction.