Halifax pop-rock duo COMPOSIT have struck gold in the form of their latest single, “ALPHA.” With heavy ties to chiptune influenced nostalgia, excellent chemistry between vocalist and producer, and among the most gorgeous cover art around, the Nova Scotian outfit have truly outdone themselves this time around.
“‘ALPHA’ is a song about the struggle of flirting while introverted,” says COMPOSIT lead lyricist Dean Boudreau, “written a couple of years ago while attempting to date a fellow introvert.”
“The lyrics reflect my interior dialogue as I tried (and failed) to take the lead in the situation. It’s an energetic little song about the thrill of a new attraction, battling your inner insecurities and the importance of seeking consent!”
Everything about “ALPHA” toes the line between energetic and coy to perfection. Boudreau’s lyrics have a soft spunk to them; not too commanding with respect to the song’s thematics, but with just enough gusto to pull you into the song and ponder the energy that would be present in a live performance.
The mind behind the instrumentals, Mark Pineo, breathes a nostalgic and unique character into the tune, with his upbeat chords helping to dream up images of running through a high-fantasy forest; its dreaminess as delicate as the introverted discourse that Boudreau spends the song contemplating.
But what ties it all together is the tune’s uncanny, multi-dimensional ability to wield nostalgia. Teased by the beautiful, classic Nintendo-reminiscent cover-art, the 8-bit synths employed by Pineo are the driving force behind this nostalgia. Factor in the subject matter as a callback to our late middle-school days when we were all too shy to pursue romance, and you’ve got enough nostalgia to feed ’80s kids for the next centuries.
With Boudreau’s fantastic cadence and Pineo’s entrancing production, the only way is up for COMPOSIT, and “ALPHA” could be a very prophetic title regarding the future of this duo.