Cassette Drift
Aaron Valentine, vocals & synths
mike smith, guitars & vocals
Salt Lake City's Cassette Drift creates swirling cinematic compositions with influences from such acts as Cocteau Twins, Slowdive, and Drab Majesty, as well as their associated genres, including post-punk, shoegaze, and darkwave. They are an example of the phenomenon I jokingly refer to as "the Depeche Mode principle." Few listeners would categorize Depeche Mode as goth, but plenty of goths listen to Depeche Mode. Let's just haphazardly classify them as "goth adjacent." The duo, composed of Aaron Valentine and Mike Smith, themselves sons of musicians, have put out two full-lengths (2019's International Fateline and 2020's Stateless Dark) and several singles. Their latest effort is the "Phrase of Silence" single with a B-Side cover of The Cure's "A Forest." "Phrase of Silence" is a synth-heavy up-tempo effort that opens with a hard-pounding bass line. It eventually gives way to their signature-layered sound bolstered by echoing guitars and synth accompaniments. Their cover of "A Forest" is my favorite cover style in which a band offers a rendition of a song in their own style. The cover retains much of its original bones; however, the listener is given a glimpse of what "A Forest" would sound like if Cassette Drift originated it. I highly recommend Cassette Drift for their moody, '80s-tinged compositions especially for mellow late-night headphone sessions. -Arkade Magazine