Five Star Life is the sumptuous new album from X Confidence, a California, USA-based five-piece who are new to our blog.

By Graeme Smith

Formed by Robin Schaffner and Bob Pittman, X Confidence stand out through their refusal to stick to genre norms. Their new album sees them blend ’80s synth, ’00s grooves and the best of the here and now to give us a record that’s quite unlike anything else out there.

Things get off to a bouncy and atmospheric start through Do No Disturb. A walking bassline sets the tone, interplaying with some percussive overtones. Then, the vocals come in, with Robin and Bob trading lines with chemistry. A darkly hypnotic chorus proves an early highlight.

From there we get nine more meaningful tracks. Hide And Seek gives us some sweet poetry while Learn to Fly gives us an unexpected cover of the Foo Fighters classic. Useless Illusion is a hard-hitting commentary on the modern world. Title track Five Star Life is beautifully lush. Yesterday’s Ghost closes the album in haunting style, combining moodiness with defiance.

There’s only one word to describe X Confidence’s new album: resplendent. It is the brightest of pop, yet doesn’t shy away from making a statement either.

Five Star Life is out now and you can give it a listen below.