Having perfected John Hughes-nostalgia on 2021’s Young & In Love, Bunny X embrace a darker realm of sci-fi inspired worlds on Love Minus 80. The landscape may change but the results remain the same. Bunny X conjure up a fascinating world to explore informed by science-fiction art, including novels by William Gibson (Virtual Light) and Will McIntosh (Love Minus 80). Beyond the concept and thematic narrative, Love Minus 80 stands tall on the music alone as one of the stronger synth wave albums to come along in 2023.
If it’s nostalgia you want, Bunny X deliver some delicious 80s-inspired synth-pop on songs like Daydreaming and The Darkest Place. It’s reminiscent of the more alternative pop from Europe that occasionally snuck onto MTV when the network was scrambling for content in its early years. However, there is a forward-thinking approach to the arrangements on Love Minus 80 with songs like Something To Rely On sounding perfectly comfortable with 2023.
With a welcome appearance from Thoughts Beings on the title song, the track encapsulates all that Bunny X do so well. There is a melancholic mood that informs the shimmering synths with a hopeless romanticism. As we approach summer, LA Dreams – Chiba City Blues will be on many playlists. It just elevates the mood with its effervescent groove. Bunny X have straddled the line between yesterday and tomorrow on Love Minus 80 and the result is an album that fits perfectly into today.