Exclusive Premiere: Watch Slush Pool Bring Out Synth-Pop with ‘Fantasy’
The song is filled with glittery sonic elements and dreamy pop delight
Mumbai synth-pop group Slush Pool. Photo: Deepan D'Souza
Known for their rock and metal sounds with now defunct Mumbai band Twisted Paradox; guitarist Yohanan D’Souza and bassist Ralph Godinho have done a complete 180 and started a new synth-pop group called Slush Pool along with vocalist-keyboardist Vanora Vaz. The band is now out with their sparkly debut single, “Fantasy.”
Ask D’Souza on how he and Godinho went from headbanging heavy tunes to dreamy pop and he says, “We used to secretly listen to artists like Ariana Grande, The Weeknd and The 1975. It was sort of like a guilty pleasure! The electronic influences were always there.” Slush Pool only came together earlier this year after all the members quit their day jobs which freed up time for them to work on writing material.
“Fantasy” opens with a shimmering catchy synth riff along with Vaz’s delicate vocals. The track picks up with funky guitar strums by D’Souza and Godinho’s thick bass line. On the song, the guitarist says, “’Fantasy’ is about imagining scenarios that haven’t happened. Basically overthinking things and building up thoughts in your head when everything is actually going fine.” The track’s accompanying playthrough video directed by Mumbai videographer Deepan D’Souza sees the band performing the song on a rooftop with neon lights shining on them.
Recorded at D’Souza’s home studio (dubbed as Slush House) and self-produced, the guitarist also mixed and mastered the track. On how Slush Pool’s writing process works, D’Souza mentions that since they don’t have a drummer they usually put down a groove on digital audio software Ableton Live that matches a riff idea that he or Godinho has worked on. “Either a melody line or an instrument hook and then just build from there while Vanora usually takes care of the lyrics department,” he explains.
Next in the pipeline is an EP for Slush Pool, slated to be out by the end of the year followed by a multi-city tour. The band is also on a hunt to find a session drummer to support their live sets which includes way more keys than usual; with Vaz handling a traditional keyboard while D’Souza and Godinho both trigger synth keys and synth bass respectively.
Watch the video for “Fantasy” below:
