Artist: Pale Blue
Title: No Words
Remixer: DJ Tennis and Perel
Label: Crosstown Rebels
Cat. #: CRM287
Format: Digital / Vinyl
Release Date: 3rd March 2023
Tracklist
1. No Words
2. No Words (DJ Tennis Remix)
3. No Words (Perel Remix)
4. No Words (Perel Remix Dub Version)

Electronic duo Pale Blue return to Crosstown Rebels with ‘No Words’, the second single from their forthcoming album ‘Maria’, with remixes from DJ Tennis and Perel.

Italians Do It Better founder Mike Simonetti and Silver Hands’ Elizabeth Wight’s rich and storied careers within the electronic realm and beyond only elevated further with the launch of their Pale Blue project in 2015, unveiling a series of critically acclaimed releases via Simonetti’s 2MR imprint with plaudits including Pitchfork, FACT and Resident Advisor, to name just a few. Having provided the first look into their forthcoming album on Crosstown Rebels entitled ‘Maria’, scheduled for release on the label later this year, the pair return to open March with the second single from the project, ‘No Words’ – accompanied by remixes from DJ Tennis and Perel.

“‘Maria’ is an album of love songs, and ‘No Words’ is the apex, so to speak. It is the Pale Blue version of a jacking house track. The lyrics are intentionally sing-songs/nursery rhyme style to give it an even more minimal and fleeting feeling. It may be the most optimistic song in our catalog.” – Mike Simonetti.

Detailing the backstory to the record, Simonetti notes both upcoming single ‘No Words’ and the majority of the tracks on the duo’s forthcoming album project were made on the exact synths used to create Jaydee’s iconic 1993 hit, ‘Plastic Dreams’. “A long time ago, maybe twelve years, I answered a Craigslist ad of a person selling some synthesizers, and when I got to the house to buy them, it was Jaydee of ‘Plastic Dreams’ fame. I ended up buying the two synths he recorded ‘Plastic Dreams’ on, and his custom presets were still set up”. He adds, “I use his synths all the time and used them on almost every song on ‘Maria’. On ‘No Words’ especially, I used the ‘Plastic Dreams’ sound from his actual synth”.

Guided by a captivating bassline accented by Wight’s charming vocals, which flutter amongst the mix, ‘No Words’ is a hooky and compelling production that ebbs and flows across its near five-minute duration with effortless ease, capturing the playful nature alluded to by Simonetti. Life and Death head honcho DJ Tennis’ remix arrives next, veering down a hazy yet absorbing path as crisp organic drums and engrossing melodies form around the vocals and journey through light and dark textures.

The B-side of the record belongs to DJ/producer, vocalist, and DFA Records favourite Perel, offering a cosmic dive through spacey synths, skittering bleeps and pops, and tough kicks across her take on the production – before distorting and warping the vocals and shifting the emphasis on the ever-evolving electronics across her ‘Dub Version’.