YEDM debuted Millennium Resorts to our readers in anticipation of their In the Key of David album debut with the first single, “Happiness,” late last month. A chugging, progressive bop of a synthwave masterpiece with just enough indie lyricism to make it really interesting, “Happiness” was a good entry point into the world of Millennium Resorts, reminiscent of the good old days of dream pop like early MGMT and M83 but with a pinch of grunge-era Dig or Winchester Revival.
The next teaser, “The Big Show,” released on November 25 and is just as long as “Happiness” (there are shorter radio edits for both) but much more of a think piece, both musically and conceptually. As In the Key of David is a concept album, this track is where the band really bites into said concept. For those listeners who made it through “Happiness,” “The Big Show” rewards them with a darker and more goth-heavy synth layout and an almost operatic layout. It’s what one would expect if one asked a Moog and an 808 to confer with ChatGPT to write a Broadway musical with Andrew Lloyd Webber as the model. It’s a good thing it’s called “he Big Show.”
With genre twists and turns, everything from new wave to Tron to shoegaze to Zappa, the musical journey almost distracts from the message of “The Big Show,” but luckily the eerie, Ween-like vocals both ride over and ground the meandering music. Enough of a contrast to force the listener to focus, the lyrics seem directly contrary to those in “Happiness,” deconstructing hopelessness and the emotional oppression of daily life into an existential nightmare in the face of the modern world. While not confirmed that it’s about consumerism and the pitfalls of get-ahead culture, it certainly seems apt that the duo decided to release this one right as the Christmas season was getting started. Either way it’s a musical snapshot of a dystopian and it seems likely that Millennium Resorts like it that way. Look at their name, after all.
So, along with expertly crafted, highly complex music, this is also the depth of thought new fans of this new band can expect to get out of In the Key of David, if the concept track of “The Big Show” within this concept album is anything to go by. For those who like their synthwave on the darkwave side mood-wise, this album will be right up that street.
In the Key of David releases on January 25, 2024. Listen to “Happiness” and “The Big Show” here.
