Hip enough for hipsters but nerdy enough for nerds, Freezepop are back with a new batch of songs that you won’t be able to get out of your head. Their second full-length album, Fancy Ultra•Fresh, builds upon the minimal electropop of their past releases, with an edgier, fuller sound. With songs ranging from the aggressively dancey “Parlez-Vous Freezepop?” to the hushed “Outer Space,” to the cheeky and blippy “Stakeout,” Freezepop have introduced new sonic elements to their repertoire, while remaining true to their catchy synthpop roots. Fancy Ultra•Fresh, which also includes video and interactive multimedia content, was released by the Archenemy Record Company last May. It spent several weeks in the CMJ top 50, peaking at #38 for the core stations.
Formed in 1999, Freezepop is the union of Liz Enthusiasm (vocalist/fashion plate), the Duke of Pannekoeken (programmer extraordinaire), and the Other Sean T. Drinkwater (synths/vocoder/wacky hijinks). All the Freezepop songs are programmed on a Yamaha QY-70, a handheld battery-powered sequencer. Their debut album, Freezepop Forever, was released domestically by Archenemy in 2001, and was licensed for worldwide release by Elefant, a Spanish indiepop label. The band have also released several EPs of new material as well as remixes by the Future Bible Heroes, Soviet, Stephan Groth (Apoptygma Berzerk/ Fairlight Children), and more. Freezepop have a sizeable cult following from songs featured in four Sony PlayStation2 video games, including Karaoke Revolution, Frequency, and Amplitude. They have toured throughout the U.S. and Europe, and have played at the Outsider Electronic Music festival, as well as with such artists as Cibo Matto, Add N to (X), and Momus.
A typical day in the life of a Freezepop song: Liz wakes up at the crack of dawn and begins brewing a fresh pot of lyrics, sometimes innocent, sometimes less-than-innocent, and sometimes in another language and making very little sense. Meanwhile, the Duke drops the blippy drums off at school and swings by the cleaners to get the synthpads chorused up for the dinner party. later in the day, the Other Sean is out walking the vocoder and stops by the delicatessen for a fat bass sandwich. Later that evening after a long day, the Duke tucks song into bed and goes to read the latest issue of Scientific American.
