Sad Cities

Comeback album (!) from Sally Shapiro, italo disco/snythpop darling of the late 2000’s blog scene. Her first full length in over 10 years finds her even more melodic, romantic, and shyer than ever (she refuses to record with others in the room, and has never performed a live show). Her songwriting has matured, but still retains a lot of the youthful longing that characterized her early work. This album also sees her collaborating with other artists for the first time—Electric Youth, Highway Superstar, and French phenom Tommy ‘86 all join in on the fun.

RIYL: Annie, Glass Candy, Cloetta Paris, Chromatics, Junior Boys
TRY 2, 6, 8, 12, 10
FCC CLEAN

(1.) (4:51) Slow-building heartbreak ballad over 80’s synth
(2.) (4:16) Upbeat retrosynth with gorgeous melodies
(3.) (5:55) Slow, longing with a gentle beat and a bit of saxophone, giving a cool crisp 70’s studio feel
(4.) (4:23) Skippy beat with a lush bed of strings and breathy vocals
(5.) (4:28) Minimalist, dreamy, and romantic
(6.) (4:11) Top-notch synthpop with soaring melodies and lush crescendos
(7.) (4:34) Midtempo with sparse echoey vocals and twinkly keyboard. 80’s prom vibes
(8.) (5:55) Old school house with big rolling pianos
(9.) (6:24) Roland synthesizer and a mysterious late-night synth atmosphere
(10.) (4:56) Slow-building angelic atmosphere, with a shadowy intro and a big crescendo with lush vocals and harp/keyboard
(11.) (7:05) Long disco track with cool flourishes
(12.) (5:04) Sleek and polished with a flashy Madonna-like sound
(13.) (3:51) Lovesick synthpop ballad with a very catchy chorus
(14.) (6:26) Pulsing dancefloor number with a big-time synthpop bassline