Toronto-based synth-pop quartet, NEON BLOOM, is back with “One Last Time”, a playful garage-rock inspired tune about a woman longing for someone to whom she has a purely physical attraction. Anchored by a catchy, fuzzed out guitar riff, driving bass line, thrashing drumbeat, and bratty, swaggering vocals, the song is about letting go and giving into something that Just. Feels. Good.
Recorded to tape to help retain the track’s gritty, urgent undercurrent, Neon Bloom sonically channels all the weight and force of the last few years of unrest and transforms it into a hedonistic feel-good anthem, urging listeners to get out of their minds, into their bodies, and just have some fun again.
Fronted by lead vocalist Jen Simpson and rounded out by bassist Fred Yurichuk, guitarist-keyboardist Simon Chow, and drummer Chris Romano, the synth-pop quartet evokes Parallel Lines-era Blondie with a daring, distinct modern edge.
“There’s a kind of reckless spirit that runs throughout the song that stemmed from the fun and celebration that came from being back together in the studio,” says lead vocalist Jen Simpson.
According to the vocalist, the song is a rumination on the person many have in their life that they acknowledge isn’t the best choice, yet they keep returning to them, with the justification that it will be one last time. “It can be hard to give up on things that feel good, but the song is coming from the standpoint of just enjoying yourself, as opposed to preaching why something is inherently bad for you.”
The music video for “One Last Time” portrays the story leading up to Neon Bloom’s Spy Thriller video for their single, “It’s A Crime”, released in early 2020.
The fast-paced music video, inspired by the likes of Guy Ritchie and Quentin Tarantino (“Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels” meets “Kill Bill”) lends additional urgency to the track. Filmed on the streets of Japan during a recent tour, the clip sees the group engage in a thrilling, high-stakes game of cat and mouse throughout Tokyo’s streets and subway system.
This isn’t the first time Neon Bloom has found inspiration in international locales. The band has leveraged previous international tours to shoot videos in Prague and Taiwan.
Catch NEON BLOOM at the DRAKE UNDERGROUND in Toronto on Saturday, April 29.
