Male Tears
Paradisco
Avant!
Male Tears’ third album comes hot on the heels of their 2023 sophomore effort KRYPT, a turnaround that makes the pivot in the LA project’s sound that much more notable. Where the latter was a fusion of modern electronic darkwave and various styles of synth and electropop, Paradisco is much closer to a purer electronic pop record, albeit one with the same kind of sharp modern lyrical sensibility and melancholy themes as its predecessor.
Then again, project mastermind James Edward has never made a secret of his pop influences, and there’s a genuine sense of continuity between the various post-Krypt singles like “You Are Your Posts” and the new material. “Sex on Drugs” is likely the best indicator of Male Tears’ approach in 2024, leveraging a Pet Shop Boys-esque instrumental complete with choral sounds and orch hits as a vehicle for Edwards’ quavering delivery, bringing the song a sense of melancholia and longing that sits in contrast to its bright musical palette. Most of the rest of the record follows, swapping out some throwback synth and drum sounds for others, but sticking squarely in nu-italo territory.
It’s a mode that suits the project for sure, with each track finding some way to differentiate itself without losing the record’s shared musical thread. Corlyx collab “Leave It Alone” uses her distinctive voice as a counterpoint to Edwards’ hangdog witticisms; “Don’t try to send a voicemail/Don’t try to call my phone/I’m going to try and ghost you” is clever but it’s the drama from the female vocal vamping at the end that puts the cut over the top. Similarly, when Male Tears go New Order on “This Party Ends in Tears”, its a distinction made by summoning that distinctive combination of bitterness and winking self-effacement, a matter of fact approach that cuts through its sentimental pads and snappy percussion.
To be honest, it’s hard to imagine anyone having an issue with the obvious musical and aesthetic changes to Male Tears that Paradisco represents, if only because the record still has the persona the project has established for itself. While not explicitly dark in most senses, it still recognizably the same band, with the same dejected charisma that drew attention to them previously. Whether it’s where they’re going to stay for the foreseeable future or just a stylistic diversion, it gives you exactly what you’d want from a new Male Tears album, with all the youthful ennui and pop bounce that implies.
