Various Artists

Continental Drift

BY Danielle SubjectPublished Aug 19, 2016

8
Continental Drift is the brainchild of Slumberland Records and Fortuna POP!, two record companies separated by two continents. Released almost a month after Fortuna POP! announced the end of their two-decade run, this compilation album of talented post-punk artists marks the end of an era.
 
Four bands comprise the album: Philadelphia's Mercury Girls, Baltimore's Wildhoney, London's Tigercats and Scotland's the Spook School. Each band has been capturing the attention of indie pop listeners over the past year. The album opens with Mercury Girls' latest single, "Holly." Written specifically for Continental Drift, the song starts things off loudly, with a boisterous drumbeat and harmonies reflective of Alvvays, which can only be a great thing. Shouts the chorus: "Amplify your existence!"
 
The Spook School build on that excitement with a fast and fun pop punk song that follows the quirky, flirty voice of Nye Todd, while Wildhoney and Tigercats work to change up the flow of the album. Tigercats introduce "Sidney St," a bubbly pop song that brightens the compilation, though they switch it up again with punk song "Rent Control" later in the album. Wildhoney slows things down with eerie, lethargic songs like "Horror Movie" and the album's closing song "T L (Reprisal)," which ends the album on a quieter note in comparison to its upbeat start.
 
Perfect for a hot, sunny August day, this is the album to enjoy the last few kicks of the season with before sweater weather starts to creep in. In this way, Continental Drift is bittersweet, serving as both the perfect summer album and a salute to the end of Fortuna POP!.
(Slumberland / Fortuna POP!)

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