Electro Pop 2

Electro Pop 2 is mastered in HDCD® by Jeffrey Norman at Mockingbird Mastering, Inc., for enhanced audio fidelity. HDCD® encoded discs will play on all CD Players.

Electro Pop 2 is available from:

Electro Pop 2 available now from CD Baby

Electro Pop 2 arrived after a very busy 2-year period of rebuilding (and learning) a new studio environment. This also led to new ways to compose as well as a greatly expanded sound-palette to work from. The changes resulted in several dozen demos and more time to mix, develop and workshop many of the tracks.

The music led the way for the lyrical content organically. The lyrical thrust became individuality – owning one’s past and acknowledging the paths forward. Musically several of the tracks look back at the origins of Munich Syndrome, reflecting the melodic synth-pop that was ruling the airwaves and world at its inception. Paired with the poppy dance tracks were darker ruminations on the less-than-sunny-side of life in suburbia and being surrounded by people who lived in abject horror at standing out, being different, or speaking their actual mind.

While there had been some songs in development, the track that kicked things into gear and set the tone for the album was Ghosts of the Dance Floor. An opportunity to be part of a French Documentary on Armistead Maupin led to an interview in the heart of San Francisco to talk about the heady days of the late 70’s on up through the 80’s and into the 90’s and beyond. Going back to the old stomping grounds, sitting in the same bars and even running into a couple of people from those days. On the way back home in the underground, the stirrings of the song began. Shortly after that, the song took on a life of its own and became the cornerstone for the rest of the album.

“I’m really enjoying listening to Munich Syndrome this week . listening to the new album Electro Pop 2 and catching up on previous releases . Brilliant big room electronic tunes with some rather wonderful lyrics to match . First heard this song at the bank the other day and it immediately connected with me and took me on a very emotional trip through club land and memories of friends / lovers on the dance floor , I knew I was welling up and smiled , I felt very blessed that a song could connect me to emotions so reverent that I really didn’t give a toss about sharing my tears in a public space. I did a little dancing as I left too . It’s also a very joyful album as well as being rather brilliant.”

Andrew Hanuman London 2018

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The next track to gain traction was Don’t Fit In, and not only became the opening track of the album, but became the manifesto for the album as well as the first to get the full-on video treatment.

Deceptively upbeat and dance-y, the track nevertheless relays what its like to conform, blend, and do anything and everything to belong and fit in. The moral is: DON’T!

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The next track, Suburbia, contrasts the Vince Clark / Erasure-esque dance track with the very dark tales of what lies behind the starched linen curtains: “The starched linen curtains couldn’t hide the secrets and lies. The TV’s turned up loud, to muffle the yelling and cries. Broken homes and promises happen every day. Life in suburbia was a golden cliche.”

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The next track, New Wave Weekend paints a picture of plotting all week to escape the drudgery and frustrations of the work-week. A weekend of escape beginning at the close of business on Friday running up to the very last minutes and seconds to the end of the weekend.

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Next up is Catastrophe Addict. We’ve all had one (or many) in our lives. That special someone who manages to get into all sorts of situations (work, love, living) and then manages to blow them up, walk away without a scratch, and assign to blame to anything or anyone else.

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At a certain point of time a select group of people lamented the passing of the glam period of music (Bowie, T-Rex, Slade, Suzi Quatro, the Sweet, Roxy Music, Mudd, the Runaways, etc.) and hosted a series of parties anchored to this theme. Glam is a love-letter to that period of time and music…

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Fitting into the flow of the album, Ghosts of the Dance Floor was the end of this section of looking back.

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The mood and tone of the album shifts with Lies. Lies friends, lovers, family and public service and broadcasting bombards us with are presented in a tongue-in-cheek video parodying TV news broadcasts. (one network in particular)

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Some are lucky enough to have one of those people come into your life that are all talk and artifice with absolutely zero substance behind their boasts and claims. This is the tale of one such person, and their subsequent banishment: Hard Luck Baby!

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…and in reaction to a world where avarice and greed have seemingly trumped goodwill and the watching out for the greater good: Everything is Fucked!

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A response to a world unwillingly and unknowingly thrown into, without knowing the unwritten and unspoken codes: EVERYDAY!!!

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2 Much Fun: A rumination and realization that what the world sees and wants isn’t what is still in reach. “I’m well aware that I’m obsolete, after all this time its bitter not sweet. Even if its too late and I’m not anyone, (I’m) gonna keep having 2 much fun!”

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Electro Pop! The title track to the album, a trippy, electro synth-pop manifesto about finding your own center and ignoring the negativity of the outside world.

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Rocket 2 Mars: overwhelmed and fed up with a world where no one acknowledges science or history. Intolerance (under the false narrative of “religious liberty”) is becoming the law of the land. “Women were women, when men were men. Let’s have the Dream House with Barbie and Ken. The dream was a nightmare now the world is turning gray.” Looking for escape.

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The Only Path. An oddly prophetic track written about a year before a memoir was undertaken about a 12 year search for birth parents, family and most importantly, the truth: “Through the pain, I’ve learned how to live. Through the anger I try to forgive. To find the thread some things unravel, but this is the only path that I can travel.”

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The original album was going to be 14 songs with the the full versions. After some discussions with publishers and performing organizations the decision was made to remix the album and focus the core album into dynamic radio edits. As the sessions had yielded an overflow of tracks, the album was expanded into a 2-CD set and in addition to the core 14 radio edits, five bonus tracks were included.

The first track, Spooky is a third-person observation about a young adult and how they cope with a dysfunctional upbringing.

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Cold. An observational piece about a person so damaged by their past they’ve changed their names, numbers, and have removed themselves from their lives to the point of no longer really living in the real world. Electro Pop 2 bonus track.

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The Backroom (edit) is the only instrumental on Electro Pop 2. A darker, electronic mid-tempo dance track.

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An Adventure is a piano driven piece that dreams about traveling the globe and having adventures everywhere before returning home.

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Journey of a Lifetime, is a rare change of gears for Munich Syndrome. The first published piece to feature acoustic guitar, it also dovetails with The Only Path.

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Electro Pop 2 is mastered in HDCD® by Jeffrey Norman at Mockingbird Mastering, Inc., for enhanced audio fidelity. HDCD® encoded discs will play on all CD Players.

Electro Pop 2 is available from:

Electro Pop 2 available now from CD Baby