Upon listening to future pop duo Fancy Cars, it’s absolutely no shocker that they hail from California. Their upbeat and catchy tracks breathe oceanview roads and endless summer. A quick trip through their SoundCloud page produces a lush variety of sailing synths and tropical-friendly beats that reflect their locale perfectly. With that in mind, their newest track “Time Machine” fits right in with the mellow-yet-exciting vibes that have adorned their production catalog.
“Time Machine” is a laid back and soulful track that grabs the listener instantaneously. A breezy guitar lick with a phaser effect jumps out immediately with a crooning vocal sample and the light tapping of hi-hats. It dissipates almost as suddenly as it began, and featured vocalist Sophie Rose’s dreamy verse begins: “I know I’ll remember you / even when it hurts me to / there’s no way I could forget what used to be.” Accompanied by slow, rounded, melodic guitar plucks, the lyrics introduce us to the underlying theme of the song. Represented by both the airy, emotional riffing and Rose’s vocals, the feeling of nostalgia and the hope of a love to be regained reign supreme. As we build to the drop, the guitar adopts a subtle vibrato effect, and a beat swells. The slightly distorted and more prominent riff from the intro bursts back in with a driving, yet restrained breakbeat.
The deep resonating kick drum hits as hard as the emotional force behind the track’s lyrics. “I know that life goes on long after you and me / but when I hear our song it’s like a time machine / and when the curtain falls as far as we can see / I hope you’ll sing along / go back in time with me.” It’s a hopeful plea that our subject’s lost love will remember her forever through a song that they once bonded over. As though their love, albeit concluded, can live on as long as the two of them remain bound by memories of music they enjoyed together. The withdrawn, relaxed yet interestingly urgent production is beautiful in conjunction with Sophie Rose’s breathy vocals, and ushers in an affective response in the listener.
Orchestrating a well-rounded pop-electronic hit isn’t as simple these days as one would assume, but with the beautiful simplicity in Fancy Cars’ “Time Machine,” along with Sophie Rose’s breathtaking vocals, I’d say they’re on the right track.
Check out “Time Machine” below.