Opening with a breezy synths, the pop beat kicks in with a summery vocal that is guaranteed to lift your spirits. ‘Lavender’ harks back to the electronic output of the 80’s with present day production values that make it shine like a star! - musomuso

Collaborating back in early 2020 just as the Covid-19 pandemic hit, Justin Novak and Becky Grinham have created a one-stop series of Dance Pop tracks paying homage to 80’s production, with technology and songwriting of today. Out for release on the 16th April is ‘Lavender’ - a punchy, synth-heavy, Dance-Electronica Pop track that travels on a rollercoaster of questions and emotions experienced going through mental health therapy.

Creating a nostalgic feeling, the sweeping synths and summery guitar riff enhance the sensitive storyline portrayed by vocalist and lyricist Becky Grinham, based on her personal experiences. The duo sought to create a soundtrack for everyday life with its ups and downs, boosting a “light at the end of the tunnel” sensation closing the track. The series of songs are to be continued, watch this space…

Lavender will be released on the 16th of April and is available to pre-save today.

Listen with Monger had this to say about the track - “If you’re looking for an uplifting tune to get your summer started or something to freshen up your aerobic playlist then you need this in your life. Fast.”

Of the track, Justin said…

“I wanted to explore the sounds of the 80’s and give my personal interpretation on that era with a modern sound. The drums for Lavender are based heavily on the Roland TR-808 with additional drums coming from the Linn drum and other popular drum machines from that decade. The synths I used in the record were the Korg Polysix, MonoPoly and the SH-101. I did a lot of research on how sounds were processed and manipulated at that time.. Of course I don’t have all the gear that was used to make records back then! However I made heavy use of emulations that similarly effect the sounds like tape and analog distortion and not shy of a decent amount of plate and gated reverb!”

Becky added…

“Justin created the most magical, hard-hitting instrumental influenced by his love for 80’s production, but there was this emotional undertone that I could feel pulling me in that I really wanted to bring out through the vocals and lyrics. I was going through CBT at the time and was trailing different forms of meditation, but completely unknown to me until last year, apparently songwriting is a great form of therapy! Lavender is about finding your inner calm, what makes you feel at peace with yourself, practice of meditation – whatever you interpret that is good for your mental health. For me that is blissful dreams, the 5,4,3,2,1 anxiety grounding technique and now songwriting. As for the vocals, I really tuned into an emotional delivery but still wanted to keep it’s elements of Dance and Pop music.”

‘Lavender’ is available from April 16th, make sure you pre-save it today.