Devonte Hynes, My Perfect Date
The Test Icicles star burned bright and short. One week they were taking over the world with songs like Circle Square Triangle, the next it was over. They didn’t like the music that they were playing apparently so called it quits. So out of their smoldering ashes comes Devonte Hynes’s solo project; Lightspeed Champion, and it’s completely different from what I had been expecting.
Produced by none other than Mike Mogis, this is more country/folk than anything I expected and it really seems to work. Where Test Icicles went for fast riffs and beats Hynes opts for jangly guitars and chilled out drums. Managing to sing a line like “My neck will burn as we kiss and I’m sick in your mouth.” with utter sincerity is impressive, almost sweet…
The humor of his previous band is still there, and so is the emotion, it’s just the format that has changed. And is this down to rubbing shoulders with the likes of Mogis and Bright Eyes? Who knows. Falling Off the Lavender Bridge was released almost a year ago. I wish I had heard it sooner, don’t make the same mistake…
