Ignore Your First Impression

by Graham

When I first heard Empire of the Sun, my knee-jerk reaction was not positive. Watch the video for debut single “Walking On A Dream,” which showcases the Australian duo’s trippy electronic tunes and bohemian hippy-meets-hipster style, and you’ll see what I mean. MGMT is that you??

But then a funny thing happened. After repeat listens and the prodding of several friends to give the group a chance, I have totally fallen for them. It didn’t hurt when I learned that half the duo had a hand in PNAU, the dance group responsible for one of my favorite club tracks of the past year, “Embrace” featuring Ladyhawke.

The debut disc, also titled Walking On A Dream, was released in the U.S. this past April, but has yet to catch on outside niche audiences (though the single was recently A-listed on Radio 1 in the U.K.). Surely these guys have talent and deserve success — if for no other reason than to tide us all over until the next MGMT record…

Empire of the Sun