“Through the sun” by Morningless is steeped in 80s newwave. Think Gary Numan, Human League, Flock of Seagulls, Modern English, Duran Duran and others from the golden-age of synthpop.
This is evident in the use of Prophet-sounding synthesizers, awesome arpeggiators/sequencers, and the vocal stylings of Mark Hollis from Talk Talk. The song is part science fiction, part romance. It starts out with a sample of an AI-type female cautioning, “diary entry 2.03 the virus is spreading fast something is wrong but nobody knows what.” Underneath this are 80s pads from what must be a Prophet IV. This is one of the few things which marks the song to the current day, as we can assume this is a reflection on the coronavirus. At the same time, couldn’t it be relevant to other eras? We can let our imaginations run free and assume this is happening earlier in the 2010s and the warning is about the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Or, that this is taking place in the 1980s at the onset of the HIV outbreak. Time is interesting that way. I wonder if we’re gonna get to a point when it’s almost too hard to pinpoint what era a song was actually written? I mean, let’s consider memes. Memes are essentially a reference, to a reference, to a reference..ad infinitum. What if everything becomes so memetic that you can’t tell where/when the start point actually is? Alas, I digress.
It’s important to note the slick 80s guitar solo breakdown happening about two minutes or so into the tune, with a capricious-sounding, heavily-processed lead tone which you would hear on a Whitesnake record. Also, hold tight for a surprising acoustic guitar breakdown which contrasts nicely with the heavy synth production on the track. The electro bass line is a personal favourite, and I can’t pinpoint that sound but it seems very familiar. It’s got an Amiga-chip vibe to it which gives me nostalgias.
Morningless is taking the pandemic scenario to the extreme, imagining that the only escape is ultimately to leave the planet. He’s painting an 80s romantic newwave-type picture, where he tells his lover, “I”m gonna take you through the sun We’ll go behind the moon forever I’m gonna take you through the sun No matter what it takes We’re gonna make it anyway.” This is set to Cosmos-soundtrack-level arpeggiation. “Through the Sun” is good storytelling on Morningless‘ part, and we like how he doesn’t shy away from his influences!
