Satellite Stories | - Phrases To Break The Ice -2012-

A vital listen for fans of early 2010s indie pop. Best enjoyed loud, with the windows down, even if it is snowing outside.

For 37 minutes, Satellite Stories turned the frozen north into a summer paradise. They proved that you don't need to live in a metropolis to capture the feeling of the city at 2 AM. You just need a hook, a beat, and a few well-timed phrases to break the ice. Satellite Stories - Phrases To Break The Ice -2012-

Critics at the time noted the lack of sonic evolution across the 37 minutes—a fair critique. The album operates in a very specific frequency: mid-tempo, major-key, danceable indie rock. If you do not like the first song, you will not like the eleventh. A vital listen for fans of early 2010s indie pop

Phrases to Break the Ice is the sonic equivalent of that midnight sun. It is an album that refuses to acknowledge the cold. From the opening seconds of the lead single, "Campfire," the listener is hit with a jangly, arpeggiated guitar riff that feels like light refracting off a windowpane at 4 AM. There is no wind, no frostbite, no melancholy. There is only forward momentum. Musically, the album wears its influences on its tight, tailored sleeve. The ghost of Julian Casablancas hovers over Mankinen’s vocal delivery—a breathless, slightly detached croon that leans heavily on staccato phrasing. Meanwhile, the rhythm section operates with the metronomic precision of dance-punk, owing a clear debt to Alex Trimble of Two Door Cinema Club. They proved that you don't need to live