“Synchronize” by Milky Chance

Milky Chance is on the come-up in some pretty serious indie circles at the moment, and with the arrival of their new single “Synchronize,” I think they make it pretty obvious that sticking to a predictable script is not something they’re capable of doing. Rather than conforming to what a lot of critics would have assumed this next single and music video might sound and look like, Milky Chance are pushing the limits of their melodic depth a lot further than even I would have initially thought them capable of doing, and I have to say that I love what the results of their experimentation are producing. 

I get some fairly strong summer of love vibes from the melodic wit in the chorus, but other than this one accent you can’t really accuse this pair of going down the obvious retro road they could have with “Synchronize.” There’s an OG pop component to the way the hook comes together in this track, and yet it’s not being allowed to flourish as much as it undeniably could have, largely because Milky Chance isn’t fostering an environment where its tonal presence would be required – the beat is big enough to manage the spotlight on its own here. 

It’s hard not to fall in love with the electronic pop influence over the guts of the groove in this single, but it’s not such an overstated aesthetic that we aren’t able to appreciate the rock element that carries forth the most exciting twists and turns in the track. Milky Chance isn’t an act that wants to be defined by labels, and if this weren’t the case I don’t believe they would go about making ambiguous pop melodies all the more alternative to the standard in their scene and, for that matter, their peers on the international stage as well. 

As a critic, I would be lying if I said I wouldn’t go for more music like “Synchronize” from the likes of Milky Chance in the future, and I think that as long as they don’t corrupt their melodic stylings with a lot of ego or overly ambitious layering in the mix, they’re going to keep seeing increased success on both sides of the Atlantic. This is a song that presents us with everything this pair does best, and while it’s not the longest pop track you’re going to hear this season, it’s packing a lot more of a punch than you’d expect. 

Mindy McCall