Dropped early last April, but only recently appearing on Bandcamp, “Concrete” is the debut single from Wealth., the new project of Down Under brothers Sean and Mark Gage, split between Sydney, Australia and Bordeaux, France, deliver a gripping and enveloping sound, well-rounded between acoustic and synthetic instruments that blends 80’s-tinged elements of Darkwave and Post-punk, as well as New Wave/Synth-Pop, at times recalling the epic soaring dreamy harmonies reminiscent of Tears for Fears’ achingly passionate juxtaposing crooning.
The song is about Sean‘s exasperation towards Australia‘s voting population; a love letter to his country, and a plea for it to do better. “Don’t vote for the self” is a pretty straight up request – envisioning an Australia free of corporate domination and Americanisation; coffers brimming with mining royalties and the taxed wealth of billionaires.
“Concrete” is built around a thick, wobbling bass loop that throbs perpetually onward along with steady, at times rattling, drum patterns, pierced by wistful, effect-filled, sparkling guitar lines, while twisted, forlorn, glowing synths, swirl with quiver with emotional vibrancy atop moody atmospheric vocals, shifting cold, melancholic baritones with warm, impassioned, pain-filled struggle.
The visuals use vintage footage from archive.org to explore mankind’s modern relationship with culture, technology, politics, and people. One thing is for sure: life is moving at an accelerated pace, with political unrest and global consequences taking hold. The choice to take a stance is now. Time is quickly running out.
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