Single Review

Rosenthal – Heart EP

• 9th Mar 2015

Rosenthal is the alter ego of Danish musician Jeppe Kiel Revsbech, His lush soundscapes fall somewhere between dream pop and psychedelia, rich and full of melody. After success with two singles, the Heart EP offers five new and varied tracks that have a hint of darkness within their many layers of bright tones.

Lead track Heart throbs with passion from the slow paced intro to the poetic lyrics and the reverb heavy guitar melody. The vocals are soft and delicate yet somehow manage to stand out over the solid drum beat and synth sounds. April Eyes has a faster pace and heads more towards the mainstream, yet the mid song break has a lovely psychedelic feel before the insistent drum beat drives the song forward again. An End To The Trial acts as a short mid EP instrumental break. Coming in at just over a minute long, the slow acoustic guitar echoes beautifully. It doesn’t really go anywhere but sounds good all the same.

Void is the longest track here, coming in at a shade over six minutes long. This is a fine, and complex, piece of music, starting with a slow acoustic melody and then deeper pitched vocals that are warm and rich. The pace picks up and the vocal takes on a dreamy quality, fading behind the melody and the drum beat. A guitar gradually emerges from the mix before the pace falls again and the initial acoustic melody is repeated. It feels almost like a symphony with several distinct parts. A Dream ends the EP with style. This one uses change of pace very well, rising and falling from lively electro pop to a single tone and back again.

Rosenthal’s is a very interesting sound that has clear 80s synth pop influences, yet also feels fresh and new. The music is rich and deep, always threatening to explode yet never quite doing so, and possessing a powerful melodic quality. It’s worthy of careful study as there is a great deal going on in every track. If dreamy synth inspired pop music is your thing you are going to love this EP.

Venue: Heart EP
Support Band: AfterImages Records