There are certain things that shouldn’t work together, but do. Spacesuits and gravity. Salt and caramel. Harold and Maude. Every once in awhile, musicians get the idea to join seemingly conflicting elements, and something compellingly new emerges. Enter Pepe Deluxé.
Pepe Deluxé teases fresh, infectious sounds out of obscured vintage technologies, including a 500,000 volt Tesla coil synthesizer, Edwardian telephone amplifier, and gargantuan Stalacpipe Organ built in the mid-50s inside a cave in Virginia.
Then there's the band’s brand new single, “Go Supersonic,” which floats layered vocals over an ecstatic garage rock beat.
Infusing sounds rooted in space pop and psychedelia, Pepe Deluxé released their fourth album, Queen of the Wave, in January. A cryptic and compelling pop opera, the album was inspired by the novel A Dweller On Two Planets, an esoteric book penned in the 19th Century exploring cosmic themes like reincarnation, sci-fi futurism, and Atlantis.
Jari Solo (aka James Spectrum) founded the band in the mid-90s and forms its backbone, collaborating with Swedish ex-pat Paul Malmström. The duo recorded Queen of the Wave with a cornucopia of vocalists, including opera singer Kirsi Thum and vocal group Club for Five.
The single includes mixes by Husky Rescue, Voluntary Butler Scheme, and Secuem. For now, stream the track on Soundcloud here. And if you haven’t, download the free Pepe Deluxé iPad app here.