LASTLINGS - LAST BREATH

Australian indie-electronic duo Lastlings trace the trajectory of unconditional love on "Last Breath"!

Some clever mathematician discovered that 50% of all songs in English between the years of 1968 and 1971 were love songs. 60% of English-speaking songs were about love from 2002 to 2005. Algorithmically, they're predicting that 64.5% of all songs would be love songs from 2017 to 2020. Is this true? Are we on schedule to match the trend?

LASTLINGS - LAST BREATH

"Last Breath" is an exquisite example of agape, the Greek name for unconditional love, as parents feel for their children or how the religious feel about God. There are a bit of both aspects in "Last Breath," which was, ostensibly, dedicated to Lastlings' parents.

While the sentiments expressed on "Last Breath" are high-flung and idealistic, there is nothing unapproachable about Lastlings' new single, sonically speaking. It's built around a steady, sturdy beat, creating a firm foundation for Amy Dowdle's soaring vocals. "Last Breath" is a straight-up club banger, no doubt about it, but there's nothing predictable or stereotypical about it. "Last Breath" is elegant, polished, restrained. It's less the pummeling, hammering 4/4 that you usually hear in Pop Club music, favoring a lighter and moodier sound, like an update on late '90s trip-hop.

There's still all of the epic builds and breakdowns you'd hope for, with thick, syrupy basslines crashing in like a neon wave. It all climaxes with an epic chorus that will fill you with love for the cosmos, as well as an opportunity to appreciate the love you have in your life, no matter what shape it comes in.

We Are: The Guard could imagine Lastlings becoming as big as Sia, in a fair and just universe.

They're scheduled to open for Rufus Du Sol on an intercontinental tour starting next month, which will help that prophecy come true.  

J. Simpson occupies the intersection between criticism, creativity, and academia. Based out of Portland, Or., he is the author of Forestpunk, an online journal/brand studying the traces of horror, supernatural, and the occult through music, fashion and culture. He plays in the dreamfolk band Meta-Pinnacle with his partner Lily H. Valentine, with whom he also co-founded Bitstar Productions, a visual arts collective focused on elevating Pop Culture to High Art.