Synth EP Review: “The Grand Harmony Hotel (EP & Singles)” by Sun City & Izzy Perri

by Karl Magi

Sun City & Izzy Perri’s “The Grand Harmony Hotel (EP & Singles)” brims with joyful retro synth energy as Izzy Perri gives a performance full of verve, playful expression and soul deep passion. I enjoy the atmosphere and emotion of this EP as it unfurls.

“Champagne Arrival” comes into being as a laid-back drum beat cruises with a round-sounding, jazzy synth. The guitar bends with slightly fuzzy tones to sail with serenity while the drums pulsate in a swaying rhythm. The vocals are sensual and silky while the brassy synth mingles with chimes that sparkle delicately. The bluesy guitar howls while the gliding underpinnings move with glassy sureness. I enjoy the way in which this track introduces the EP.

As a guitar entangles with easygoing smoothness, a sun-dappled synth cruises with the drums to open “Endless Vacation.” Izzy Perri’s voice radiates affection and loss while the guitar chugs with luscious sound as gleaming tones ring out like uplifting bells. The drums flourish and the chorus climbs with Izzy Perri’s richly expressive voice while the guitar growls with lively effulgence and the beat skims past.

Jonas Klintström Larsen’s sax leaps in with passion dripping from every reedy, vibrant note while Izzy Perri pairs his engaging vocals with a melody that is both dreamy and lost. Percussion continues to slip while the chimes glimmer with iridescence. The song drifts into a peaceful segment and the lead singer is able to draw me deeply into the music.

Once again, the sax flies with blazing intensity as the guitar adds shape. Jonas Klintström Larsen’s solo captures the song’s wistful, nostalgic feelings before it ends.

“When I get this feeling, I can see the time just passing by” and when the narrator thinks of leaving, he says, “There's something I need so far away from me now,” while he realizes he has to get himself out of the town he's in. He wonders how long it'll be until he doesn't need to say “take me home” anymore.

“I'm too in love with those city nights, it seems like we're finding out the hard way every time,” and our storyteller is too afraid to run, adding that “vacation’s just not long enough.” If he continues to believe, he “could see the skies of Saint Tropez, walk along the beaches like everything is new,” but it remains something far away now.

“All You Make Me Do (Is Cry)” commences with a loping beat and guitar that moves with a funky flow. Izzy Perri’s voice drips with pained feeling while the drum beat moves with ease and glimmering notes flicker. Izzy Perri has a voice like caramel and chocolate, sweet and full of sensuality. The track sweeps by while the vocals wrap around me with heartfelt emotion.

I enjoy the sensitivity and skill in Izzy Perri’s interpretation of the lyrics while the pattering beat ticks along. The lead synth has a jazzy, chilled-out feeling as it roams with easygoing richness and ripples through the music. The chorus is full of silken, evocative expression while the drum beat continues to pop with a loose-limbed flow. Izzy Perri’s vocals are full of hurting emotion before silence falls.

Pointing out that “I could’ve told you I was lonely, I could’ve told you that I've been here before,” the narrator explains that whenever the song’s subject is around him, “I can't let go ’cause you told me you loved me, you told me you cared.” He wonders if, “now that I've got it together,” it would make any difference if he told the other person that he tried, asking, “would it even matter?” because all the other person does is make him cry.

Our storyteller says that “you try to tell me to be different, it's never been easy to change my mistakes.” As he observes the other person's distance but adds, “it's never too late to get out of this place,” because the song’s subject confessed their love for him, “no matter the day.” He asks again if having gotten things together, “would it make any difference if I gave you the time?”

When the song’s subject told the narrator that they loved him and everything they shared, he thought that love would last for eternity. He concludes, “does it make any difference, did we run out of time? Guess it doesn't matter when all you make me do is cry.”

Swirling notes exhale pure calm before Izzy Perri's voice comes in with deeply ingrained caring to start “We Look Good Together.” The drum beat shapes the music as an electric bass entangles with Izzy Perri's fervent voice, taking hold of the lyrics and piercing my heart with them. The drum beat continues to touch while the fat bass adds weight. The background radiates champagne light while the low end adds a relaxed sensation.

Jonas Klintström Larsen’s sax matches the heartfelt emotion within the vocals, crying and creating fierce yearning. Izzy Perri's voice glides like an unfurling tapestry of love and yearning while the luminous synth bursts. Once again, the vocals move with luscious desire and a sense of powerful wanting while the cruising drum beat and pulsing bass add shape. As the track ends, Izzy Perri's vibrantly affectionate performance fades out.

“I’m not shying away, if I loved you then, I’m probably going to love you now,” and our storyteller doesn’t need an escape because the song’s subject is likely going to be the one he needs around. He adds that he knows they look good together in some way, he knows it by “just lookin’ at her and when she comes back around.”

Once again, the narrator reiterates that he isn’t shying away and if he loved the song’s subject then, he’ll love her now. He says, “I’ll spend every day in the moments I could never quite forget about.” He realizes that there isn’t any way to return from the situation as he says, “it’s not like I would ever recover.”

“It’s a revelation when we find new things, we want to get out of this,” so when they come back around, our storyteller knows and asks the other person what the long face is for. He points out that he was very lonely just thinking about it and concludes, “now I finally see who you are and I waited so long just thinking about you and I don’t know how.”

“Next to You” begins with a bell-like synth spilling out while a guitar slips with tenderness. Chimes sweep and Izzy Perri's voice is full of true devotion. A guitar strumming creates a further airiness while the vocals slide with intense, moving love. The way in which Izzy Perri captures commitment and a dreaming feeling touches my heart.

The bass and drums guide while the guitar shimmers with eloquent sensations. Izzy Perri has a knack for expressing fondness while the guitar solo reaches out with warmth, levitating above the low end. The chorus slides in with velvety, ardent lines while the beat continues to rebound and the guitar moves with billowing ease. The synth transmits the melody with wistful gentleness and the song ends.

When the narrator considers the rest of his life, he wonders if he has “this love for a while.” Is it just a moment in his time, or “is it really here forever, could forever be fine?” He goes on to say that if he’s absent for a while, “just know that I'll be right there next to you.” He adds, “I could be hopeless for a while, I'm gonna end up right there next to you, waking up next to you.”

“I never thought we'd drive a million miles,” as he and the song’s subject experienced “every up and down, laugh and cry.” When he sees the other person “in that dress that you like,” he thinks, “this really could be forever, yeah, forever is fine.”