Heavenly Beat's new track "Intent" is a subversive synthpop odyssey

08 September 2015, 09:45 | Written by Hannah J Davies

(Tracks)

(Heavenly Beat)

Even though summer is already but a distant memory, the persistent groove of Heavenly Beat's (AKA Jon Peña of NY indie quartet Beach Fossils) latest release is a veritable ray of sunshine, with its hypnotic steel drum percussion, zero gravity bassline and plinky-plonk synth.

A lone sax is occasionally thrown into the mix, binding the whole thing together - the flour in his vapourwave soup, if you will. If you're not yet familiar with the genre, it's a slowed down form of chillwave with more than an ironic nod to nostalgia (for cut and paste reference points, think the electro anthems from Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and '80s cartoon soundtracks). Taken from his forthcoming fourth LP Designer, it's an exciting odyssey which sees him further deconstruct the electropop building blocks of his previous releases with nothing but the best of intentions.

Designer is released

Stream "Intent" below. Peña's upcoming North American tour dates can be found afterwards.

September

12 - Vancouver, BC @ Fortune
15 - Spokane, WA @ The Bartlett
16 - Seattle, WA @ Barboza
17 - Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
18 - San Francisco, CA @ The Rickshaw Stop
23 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy
24 - San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
25 - Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
26 - El Paso, TX @ The Lowbrow Palace
28 - San Antonio, TX @ Limelight
29 - Dallas, TX @ HOB Cambridge Room
30 - Austin, TX @ Stubbs Jr

October

1 - Houston, TX @ Rudyards
2 - New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa
3 - Hot Spring’s, AR @ Maxine’s
5 - Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar
6 - Atlanta, GA @ 529 Club
7 - Raleigh, NC @ King's
8 - Washington, DC @ DC9
9 - New York, NY @ Baby's All Right
10 - Boston, MA @ Great Scott
13 - Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle
14 - Montreal, QC @ Newspeak
15 - Toronto, ON @ The Drake
16 - Chicago, IL @ Schuba's
17 - Madison, WI @ The Frequency
18 - Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews
19 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
20 - Kansas City, KS @ The Riot Room
21 - Wichita, KS @ Barleycorn's
22 - Denver, CO @ Lost Lake Lounge
23 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
24 - Boise, ID @ Neurolux