Resurface starts off with your typical synth wave instrumental but the simplicity of it all feels good. Getting back to basics of one of my favorite genres and during this moment, I feel excited that I'm about to dive into a new full length Kalax album. First one since 2024's Lost.
"Afterglow Drive" was just warming up. It's when "Forever New" happens that the magic starts. Lee Blanchard's creatively passionate vocal melodies are what make this song.
It should be noted that Kalax released Resurface one week ahead of time on Bandcamp for his loyal fans, ahead of streaming on other platforms.
"I’m truly grateful for your support; it means so much to me. As a thank you, I’m giving you early access to my brand new album, a full week before it reaches the streaming platforms. For now, you can listen and download exclusively here on Bandcamp!"
"You're All I Find" continues the craft of strong songwriting. It's pretty clear that Blanchard's songwriting abilities are what make him a solid contender in the synthwave music scene and we're only three tracks in.
"Blossoms At Dusk" might be working off the same template but it's a filtered differently for whoever is doing vocals. is that Dana Jane Phoenix? It could be but listening to some of her other tracks, she's a little different.
Zoe Dune
"Ghost Engine" is another instrumental, helping to break it the order a bit to keep the album flowing. Need to sum up that there's saxophone throughout this entire album but it's used when necessary.
We return with vocals of the unknown female in "Pink Skies" which ironically, sends the album soaring.
In order to keep from sounding redundant, the rest of the album switches off line this the rest of the way, between catchy instrumental and poppy songs. The moment you feel this is pretty standard, Lee flexes his writing chops again and takes the track in a different direction. He knows when to build things up, when to rachet the emotion and when to hold back.
If you've listened to a lot of synthwave, there has been some work out there that doesn't maintain the energy or inspire like Kalax does. Sure, the layout is pretty simple but you can hear the love that comes from Lee in this kind of music. He wants to paint something that you can feel and the accessibility of it all is the reason he's one of the best in the scene.