Junior Boys
So This Is Goodbye

THE REVIEW

Don't be fooled by the name; the Junior Boys are not a “boy band,” but a Canadian duo consisting of Jeremy Greenspan and Matthew Didemus. The group was founded in 1999 by Greenspan and Johnny Dark, who later left the project.

Their debut came with the album “Last Exit,” and after two years, they returned with the record I'm about to review for you. “So This Is Goodbye,” unlike “Last Exit,” an album where more space was left for various alchemies and experimentation, largely seeks melody. At the same time, it is a synth-pop that also explores various musical fields, such as minimalism, funk, and disco.

The rhythms, always very well crafted, take as a point of reference those of the eighties, like those used by Soft Cell and The Human League, to name a few. As the CD starts, one can't help but get lost in the dance rhythm of the opening track “Double Shadow,” followed by the funk of “The Equalizer,” then moving on to the rarefied atmospheres of “First Time” and a tribute to Depeche Mode with “Count Souvenirs.” However, there are certainly some weak points, such as the somewhat dated synths of “Like a Child” or the sound of “In the Morning,” very similar to that of “Your Love” by Frankie Knuckles.

Leaving aside these small weaknesses, the album contains moments of melancholy introduced by Frank Sinatra's cover “When No Cares” and the track “Caught In a Wave.” Finally, the album concludes with the beautiful and captivating beats of “FM.”

In short, “So This Is Goodbye” is, despite its small flaws, a beautiful album full of creativity and commitment, capable of entertaining and moving.