Singles

Ou Est Le Swimming Pool - The Key

Luke Langlands 06/10/2010

Rating: 3.5/5

During their two years of existence, Ou Est Le Swimming Pool have truly experienced a rollercoaster ride. After playing at some of the biggest festivals on the planet, gaining relative European chart success, supporting La Roux during their (yes THEIR, not HER) recent tour, and suffering the tragic death of lead singer Charles Haddon, the hotly-tipped synthpop group are set to release their fourth single The Key, next month.

Extremely catchy and beautifully melancholic, the track tells of the breakdown of a relationship - the confusion, frustration and anger surrounding the situation. The idea of giving up, and throwing in the towel is discussed: 'If I'm so wrong then who are you supposed to be…and if you want out there's the door, here's the key'. It sounds like something that could easily have been released during the New Wave/Electro scene of the late 70's/early 80's, with authentic keyboards and driving electric drums throughout. It sounds tragic and fragile, as if it's made from brittle glass, and in any other circumstances this would have detracted from the sound of the piece, but here it compliments it perfectly. There's no build-up or 'epic' moment in the song…the overall sound fits perfectly with the lyrics. It's easy to make references to this new single and the passing away of Charles Haddon, who took his own life after a performance at Belgium's Pukkelpop festival (which was the first time I'd ever heard of the band…probably the last person to do so), but at the risk of not knowing the full extent of what happened, it's probably best not to make too many comparisons.

Ou Est Le Swimming Pool's debut album The Golden Years is released on the 3rd of October, and I'm really looking forward to it. It could potentially shape and control the entire future of this young band, and determine whether they're a quick flash in the pan, or a genuine contender. After doing so well and going so far in such a small space of time, the world is looking exciting for them, as long as they can hopefully remain together and keep creating tracks like this.

Release date: 03/10/10