Review: Popstrangers – Fortuna

Compared to their first album, Antipodes, Popstrangers are really living up to the “Pop” in their name. I want to stress that I said, “compared to.”  Think more ’60s pop—you’re not going to confuse Fortuna for a Taylor Swift album—especially not with the underwater space vocals that sound like they’re coming from a spinning speaker after passing through an assortment of phase and reverb effects.  Like any good pop album, the fourth track, “Country Kills,” features a chorus you might get stuck whistling at your quiet office. In the same chorus, something vocally reminds me of Desert Noises. While the overall feeling is similar to Antipodes (catchy Sonic Youth–sounding ambiance), Fortuna sounds more electronic, incorporating more rhythmic syncopation and vocals with a vague auto-tune aftertaste. –Steve Richardson