Although they have been kicking around the scene since 2009, it wasn't until late 2013 that Los Angeles' Body Parts truly left their mark in the realm of Synth-Pop. It was the October release of their full-length debut, 'Fire Dream', that made it clear this is definitely an act to watch.

While it's easy to throw the word "eighties" around when describing bands like this, it's difficult not using it to describe the sounds crafted by frontman Ryder Bach and singer/guitarist Alina Cutrono. These two have a strong penchant for writing poppy and undeniably catchy songs straight out of that aforementioned decade, but there's more to it than that. As evident on standout track Desperation, there's a gripping air of experimentation that allows Body Parts to come into their own. Listen to it below.



As you heard, these two clearly aren't afraid to wear their influences on their sleeves. As noted on their Facebook page, two artists who helped shape Body Parts' approach were Prince and Kate Bush—the former of whom (as Impose also notes) certainly inspired portions of Desperation.

The thing is, Bach and Cutrono don't merely rely and possibly harp on their sonic godparents. Instead, they pay homage by pushing through those musical boundaries while delivering a distinct sound. Similarly, one could easily compare another of their singles, the great Unavoidable Things (it's below), to eighties mainstay Tears for Fears and even Queen, at times. That's mostly because of the similarities between Bach's shape-shifting vocals and those of his heroes. But again, there's so much movement within the track that those comparisons fall by the wayside to solely focus on what Body Parts is doing musically.



The remaining nine tracks on 'Fire Dream' are equally as potent and colourful as the two singles, if not even more so within the context of the album. There's an immaculately cohesive feeling within the way it's paced and structured, perhaps because of how much work went into it. As explained to The Bay Bridged, Bach tinkered with and refined the songs that made the final cut for well over a year. He also got the project properly mixed and mastered, which he said made it into "a super dancey, poppy, hard-hitting album." We concur. Sometimes that extra love and care is simply necessary for artists to find their niche and fully embrace it.

Vinyl and CD copies of 'Fire Dream' are available now at the Father Daughter Records site. They even have some limited-edition white vinyl LPs available, which is sure to appeal to the vinyl junkies out there. And if you're just starting out in the record world, going the USB turntable route is highly recommended.

As shown in this video from MySmartBuy, it's super-easy to transfer the record's contents to your computer and then to your smartphone or mp3 player. And given the eye-catching art for 'Fire Dream', you may want to rip the audio and then display the album in a frame. That way you'll also know that the actual vinyl will remain clean and playable for years to come—just don't hang it in direct sunlight.

If you'd like to hear more of what the group has released, you can stream their early 2013 two-track EP, 'Rest While You Sleep', below or buy it on Bandcamp.



f: https://www.facebook.com/bodypartsband