If you are of a certain age, you might remember a pop group called Daphne and Celeste. Back in 2000, their two shambolic hits, ‘Ooh Stick You’ and ‘U.G.L.Y’ were the soundtrack of both primary school discos and school playgrounds. They are more notoriously remembered for blagging their way onto the Reading 2000 lineup and subsequently standing firm despite being bottled off by fans awaiting Slipknot’s set, before seemingly disappearing without a trace. However in what is probably the most unlikely comeback of the year, they have dropped a new track and are working with electronic producer Max Tundra, who has remixed the likes of Franz Ferdinand and The Futureheads.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJr_uyA0Np4&w=740&h=422]
Interestingly, with its woozy synthesisers and Tundra’s minimalistic production, ‘You and I Alone’ is a synthpop track, which actually works well with the mature-sounding vocals. An interesting feature about this track is that it samples some footsteps of an ex girlfriend of Tundra’s, which intertwine well with the drumbeat and keep the track flowing. It is based around a simple chord progression and it is incredibly addictive, with both Daphne and Celeste even mostly ditching their bratty high pitched cheerleading vocals to create an infectious chorus: “You and I alone / Talking on the phone” which could discuss a long distance relationship.
Although there is a moment of weirdness, where they both sing nonsensical things: “ Black Dice/Candy porn/Piper at the gates of dawn” which sounds cringeworthy, Daphne and Celeste’s startling comeback could be a welcome one on the basis of this track.
Words by Ermis Madikopoulos