Addy Weitzman and Patrick A. Boivin are masters of elegant minimalist electronic pop, layering lush synth pads and tasteful dark-toned guitar parts over spare pulsing beats. The two Montreal-based musicians began writing and recording together as
the Beat Escape in 2015, signing with U.K. favorite Bella Union the following year to release their eponymous debut EP. It was a brief two-track sampling of their capabilities, which are fully explored here on
Life Is Short the Answer's Long, the duo's first full-length release. Subtlety and mood-setting mark
the Beat Escape's bailiwick as they move slowly across the landscape, building faint dramas and understated emotional peaks. The band's affection for vintage eras of new wave, electronic, and Krautrock is apparent throughout the nine lengthy tracks, most of which clock in over the five-minute mark. Opener "Sign of Age" blows in mercurially like a rain cloud, offering its hypnotic rhythms to the duo's austere vocal refrain of "Words are for nothing." "Moon in Aquarius" is a similar mix of spectral and engaging, with warm melodic leads floating in and out of the frame amid the rich harmonies. While not a wild departure from their inspirational sources, Weitzman and Boivin have a wonderful command over this particular branch of pop and they've written a collection of songs that live very comfortably in their own skin, which isn't as simple a task as one would think. ~ Timothy Monger