Madebit’s use of expanding bubbles of tone and layers of sequenced melodies in Island Vibes initially gives “Island Vibes” a wistful tone like it suggests a feeling of missing some good times on an island and of saying goodbye for the season to a beachside resort, the kind that’s a little rustic and open to most people regularly because it’s not a tourist destination so much as just a cool place to which the people in a nearby community avail themselves to get away for a weekend or a holiday. The kind of low key relaxation offered is the energy that runs through the song. Musically it balances a pop song for a dance party and an experiment in establishing a mood with a blend of collaged electronic moods and a subtle rhythm track that nevertheless keeps up a brisk but not urgent pace. In the background we hear the sound of an occasional breeze and in the end the sounds of tides coming in. What is most interesting and unexpected overall is the sly borrowing of the staccato arpeggio of electronic melody from influential 1972 version of Gershon Kingsley’s synth song “Popcorn Song” as done by Hot Butter. Out of the typical context it just adds a layer of playfulness to the track that gives a tonal coloring to the line about “Island Vibes on another level now” so that the best of that feeling can go with you wherever and isn’t limited by the end of a season or vacation or some other temporal inconvenience. Listen to “Island Vibes” on YouTube and follow Madebit at the links below. The new Madebit album An Alien Among Us is due out later in 2023.
Queen City Sounds and Art 
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