Flight To London’s fine-tuned facsimile of synth pop’s ’80s heyday surpasses mere tribute-minded affectation. Credit score extremely expert co-conspirators Jimmy McGorman and Robb Vallier, whose affection for Tears For Fears, New Order, Depeche Mode and the like runs as deep as their obsession with songcraft. Out November 21 through earthprogram/Virgin Music, their impeccably crafted debut LP, Directions For Shedding Management, humanizes its digital precision with an analog heat for a nostalgia journey that’s strikingly of-the-moment. They’ve even earned the approval of Guided By Voices’ Robert Pollard, who signed off on the usage of his art work for the duvet.
A southern New Jersey native and achieved multi-instrumentalist, McGorman is perhaps finest recognized for his stint in the home band for TV’s Rockstar: INXS and Rockstar: Supernova. He’s additionally labored with Goo Goo Dolls, New Radicals, Weezer and Avril Lavigne. Vallier, in the meantime, has collaborated with the Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart, Gin Blossoms, Sabrina Carpenter and others.
“As writers, we entered into uncharted territory on this album,” says McGorman.
The album’s first single, “No One’s Forgiven,” was written out of a collective frustration over the present political panorama. “The absurdity of all of it lent itself to the concept of a video that includes puppets,” says McGorman. “To anybody who lived via the MTV years, it’s an apparent reference to the video for ‘Land Of Confusion’ by Genesis—speaking heads shouting on the TV, dancing whereas the world outdoors burns and churns in chaos.”
McGorman and Vallier made a acutely aware determination to remain out of the video. “There was a time when rock ’n’ roll had some thriller to it,” says McGorman. “We miss that point—once you didn’t know what your favourite artist was consuming for lunch.”
We’re proud to premiere Flight To London’s “No One’s Forgiven.”
—Hobart Rowland
