ALL NIGHT review - Saccharine Synthpop Hit After Hit

(Reviewed by Melody Werner)

All Night is a 2020 synthpop album by PRIZM. A duo hailing from Houston, Texas--PRIZM is made of Danni James and Kris Williams, while boasting production from one Geoffrey Rockwell. All Night is their debut album, named after its lead single from 2019, released by Rise Records. As with Pleasure Delayer, I cottoned onto this album thanks to perusing the wonderful Bandcamp and deciding to give its title track/opener a bash. However, I listened to the title track, then bounced around before listening to the full album after Pleasure Delayer, because I adored the title track so much. Being a connoisseur of synth in general, and an admirer of the likes of Carly Rae Jepsen, Dua Lipa, Dorian Electra, and Paula Abdul when it comes to synthpop in particular--it's worth noting that this is exactly the kind of stuff I would call "my bag." At its best, All Night sees PRIZM on par with genre contemporaries like Carly--and, at its worst, All Night is still a very, very solid synthpop album that may give you a sugar rush.

Geoffrey here provides some crisp, smooth beats for PRIZM to sing over. There are so many good, funky beats on this LP, but standouts include the title track, "Closer," and "Disco Biscuit." Meanwhile, Danni and Kris have great voices and chemistry, effectively conveying heaps of personality. Whether a cut is sassier or more infatuated, the two remain consistently interesting throughout--if you're into this sort of thing to begin with, of course.

All Night's vibe is one bursting with sunshine, energy, and caffeine. It's definitely PRIZM's MO, they shoot for shimmering, feel good atmospheres over dour and brooding miasmas. Personally, I dug every track, but I did kind of get a tooth ache from all of the cutesy cuteness jampacked into this. I think I'll enjoy everything greater in more compact, bite-sized listening experiences (playlists and the like). Because, overall, I think this is a pretty excellent album. From time to time, there's a moment that comes across as moderately clunky or annoying, but it always comes back around to being a fun, airy time. Every track on here reeks of "summer hit," even if this is an underappreciated project. It's just so damn catchy and likeable, I can't stay mad at it.

As for the overtly nostalgic lyrics, they don't do anything for me, but they don't detract from the experience either. To me, they contextualize PRIZM's inspirations (likely names such as Paula Abdul and Kylie Minogue, if I had to take a wild guess); nostalgia is not why I come to synth. I grew up watching a few 80's movies and sometimes a synthpop song would play on the radio, but my musical nostalgia is ::shudders:: nü metal. The bad stuff from the subgenre, at that. Once upon a time, I unironically listened to the likes of "Headstrong," from bands I now only ever point and laugh at. I listen to synth for its danceable production and the love that goes into it because of the nostalgia of the artists involved. To you, these lyrics may read as clinging to the past, or regressive, or tacky--or endearing, expressing adoration for a time whose music you loved as well. I can't look on the 80's fondly because of the whole extinction of an entire generation of gay people (that could have been prevented, if not for one of the worst administrations in a line of exclusively shit to shittier administrations), but you do you, I guess.

I'm obviously a sucker for this aesthetic and scene, so I know a strong recommendation from me isn't going to be all too unexpected. Hell, I first saw this album on New Retro Wave's YouTube channel (though I only remembered as much in the middle of listening when I looked them up on YT and saw their NRW feature), cuz I'm obsessed with synth. However, just because I'm an easy lay for a good synthpop album doesn't mean that I'm not going to call balls and strikes as I see them in the genre. I say this because I really do want people to listen to this album, which I view as an incredibly fun debut for the summer that wasn't. I view it as a terrific start, from which this duo can build up a formidable discography. And so, I think All Night deserves a 9/10.

Awesome

Summary:

Bubbly synthpop fun--though perhaps best experienced in pieces, as it can be overly sweet for one sitting.