New and noteworthy: Introducing 'The Face'

Becoming a proper pop band in the new (not so new anymore eh?) millenium is both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, you have so many more social media opportunities to get your music out there and heard. On the other hand there are so many social media opportunities that any old tom, dick and wannabe popstar thinks they can chuck any old cack out there and become a huge star (see Rebecca Black, Luigi Masi et al). In other words you have to sort through a lot of chaff (whatever that is) to get to the wheat; kiss a lot of frogs to find your prince. And it can be a bit heartbreaking if you are a fan. For every genuine and deserved success story like Le Kid & Simon Curtis, there are the missed opportunities of Waterloo (who had the glorious Four Letter Word) and Discotheque (with the phenomenal Unsung Hero)... Today's choice certainly has the musical chops to go all the way - they are the wheat, they are the prince. They are The Face...

I love an enigmatic pop band I do and there is only scant information available about The Face. This I do know - there are three of them. They are all very photogenic indeed and have been blessed with amazing cheekbones. I *think* they have been working with my beloved Le Kid & possibly Alexander Bard. They apparently rocked This Must Be Pop Live a couple of weeks ago. And each one of their three demos that has just appeared online is so ridiculously good that each could be a single instantly and dominate the pop charts. Here is what is available...

• Learning To Dance Again ~ beginning in over a sparse electro synth riff, a haunting vocal commands your attention straight away - detailing the pain of a heartbreak & how to recover. A distant, subtle drum sound is added about half a minute in giving the song an air of tension & anticipation as the slow build to the chorus draws you in with it's swirling, almost echoing effect. It's actually quite an empowering, inspirational chorus about letting go of the hurt, coming through the war and embracing the upbeat side of life once more. All this while a disco infused beat takes the song to a new euphoric height. A pared back middle 8 comes across almost prayer like before the blistering chorus kicks in for one more scintillating run through...
• Suicidal ~ POP ELEGANZA & EXTRAVAGANZA! A male vocal taking the lead over a mesmerising synth beat & huge, anthemic chorus with one of the most memorable refrains in a long time ("without my love your suicidal") creates one of the most instantaneous, deliriously sickening pop songs you'll hear this year. For a demo, it's already incredibly layered and well produced with hints of Pet Shop Boys (particularly in the line "don't call me at 5am") & Bodies Without Organs. It's pop nirvana and I'm booking a one way ticket to visit...
• Drop The Bomb ~ I like that each song in this three song set is distinctly different from the one before; however this one is by far my favourite. It's got an almost tribal feel to it, about three different hooks ("i got the boom boom" / backing "oh oh oh yeah" in chorus / "Drop the bomb, drop the bomb now") and a brilliant almost classical orchestral middle 8 that only serves to complement the tune. The newly reformed Steps would kill to get a pop song this good to relaunch their original material. It's firmly rooted with one eye on the history lessons pop has taught us, but forward thinking enough to sound funky and new. The Face are about to educate and I am ready to learn!