Here we are! The first single from Vehlinggo Presents: 5 Years. Pioneering synth act Parallels brings us a beautiful and catchy synth-pop cut that won’t leave your head for days. I can see this retro-modern song showing up on a lot of playlists. It truly slays with majestic precision.
“The Magic Hour” is written and produced by Holly Dodson with additional guitars by frequent collaborator Oliver Blair (of Radio Wolf). Dodson recorded the song in her studio in Toronto this year with some notable inspirations in mind.
“The Magic Hour” is about being caught in a whirlwind love — letting yourself be carried away by it, unsure if it will last forever but hoping that it will. I recorded the demo for it after a trip to California, pulling inspiration for the production from Bryan Ferry and ’80s-era Joni Mitchell. I finished it this year at my studio in Toronto. The song features guitar by my bandmate Oliver Blair, who I kindly asked to play something Eagles meets “Rio” by Duran Duran.
About Vehlinggo Presents: 5 Years
The Vehlinggo Presents: 5 Years compilation will be available for pre-order at this Bandcamp page soon. The official release date is Nov. 1 — on Bandcamp and all digital platforms. It features new or previously unreleased songs from Vehlinggo mainstays: Anoraak, Betamaxx, Bunny X, Deadly Avenger, Diamond Field & Dana Jean Phoenix, FM Attack, Forgotten Illusions, Highway Superstar (feat. Zoe Polanski), In Mirrors, Johan Agebjorn (feat. Tom Hooker) & Wolfram, Le Matos, Maethelvin, Mecha Maiko, Metavari, The Midnight, Parallels, and VHxRR.
The compilation celebrates this website’s five years of covering synth-focused musicians, including those who make synth-pop, Italo Disco, synthwave, and film and TV scores.
Keep an eye out on social media for updates, teasers, and all-around joy.
Also, after you listen to “The Magic Hour” at least 100 times, do check out Dodson’s interview on The Vehlinggo Podcast from earlier this year. And don’t forget to check out this piece on the Outland Toronto festival in July, which featured a powerful set from Parallels.
