At first glance, Boston band Dee-Parts seems like a printer out of colored ink. The grayscale aesthetic of their album art perfectly encapsulates their sound: the sonic resurrection of a black and white photo. With the distortion knob turned up on all instruments, Dee-Parts labels its music as “pop/goth/minimal”, but it brings forth nameless emotions more than those words together could ever convey. Not only is the band stripped of color, their music is also a pure piece of art with no distractions. A repeated guitar riff coupled with a faraway voice, the music instantly takes you to a world and time of slicked back hair and and sleeveless t-shirts. Released in February 2019, their latest album “Dee-Parts II” is comprised of four songs all with a single-letter title: “Picture”, “Candle”, “Repair”, and “Sleep”. Each with the same mesmerizing retro quality. The songs feel like they were recorded on a tape machine, as if they belong on some tape that you bought at a thrift store.
My personal favorite song is “Repair”. The song starts out powerful, a little guitar riff that punches in repeatedly on the same note for an entire measure. In a way, it’s really the pulse of the song, like a heartbeat that also marches forward. Every time I hear the guitar pound through, I eagerly wait for the new mood the buildup will take me to. The song creates a brighter feeling within, with only a single “oooh” of vocals and a more major-sounding key in the guitar. I feel relief as all that tension beautifully crafted by the guitar riffs resolve itself in the most satisfying way possible. The muffled sound of the album’s production leaves the listener with a sense of yearning. To listen for the lyrics, to listen for the entrance of an electric bass, and to listen for where the music is going to take you next, these become the tasks of the listener.
Get a taste of the black and white magic for yourself, give Dee-Parts a listen.