Review: Close Counters of the preferred kind... Lovers Dance Academy is the third, cosmic jazz-house LP from the word-playful ensemble from the Australian duo of Allan McConnell and Finn Rees. Eschewing much of the kitsch tropicalia of Soulacoasta and Soulacoasta II, their first and second albums from 2018 and 2023 respectively, the pair have decided to minimalise and sophisticate their sound here. Ahead of a nationwide tour (and beyond), this sweetly balanced record not only marks out Melbourne and Narrm as twin hotspots of the Aussie scene right now, but serves well as "a metaphor for the power of collective energy", with rousing hats and sprung sound design making for an infatuating, feverish disco sound. The master mix is ever so slightly pushed to the limit, inciting a people's disc-overflow.
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