Record of the Week: Plastic Tones: Can You Keep a Secret?

Plastic Tones: Can You Keep a Secret? 12” (Kick Rock Records) France’s Kick Rock Records (Befa from Deletär’s label) and Japan’s Vox Populi Records team up to bring us the third album from this Finnish power-pop band. We’ve carried Plastic Tones records in the shop before, but only in small quantities and they always disappeared before I got a chance to spend much time with them, so I won’t be able to tell you how Can You Keep a Secret? stacks up against the rest of their discography. I can, however, tell you that it’s a killer power-pop record. The bulk of its nine songs mine a vein of sun-bleached, shimmery pop with a hard rock edge. While there are keyboards and polished production, riffy electric guitars are at the center of the arrangements; consequently, this brings to mind the more “rock” end of early 80s new wave like Kim Wilde or Pat Benetar. Sheer Mag works in a similar space (and I can hear touches of peak-era Fleetwood Mac in both Plastic Tones and Sheer Mag), but Plastic Tones feel even more pop, particularly when their sugar-rush choruses hit with their soaring melodies and stacked vocal harmonies. The middle part of the record (tracks 2-8) is just hit after hit, every song building to a hugely climactic chorus. While there’s enough grit that Can You Keep a Secret? fits on a label known mostly for d-beat, I could see fans of a modern indie rock band like Alvvays loving Plastic Tones too. Interestingly, the album is bookended with two tracks that stand out from the others. The leadoff song, “We’re All in This Together,” has a different lead vocalist than the other songs on the album, and while it’s not that much different than the others structurally, the melody is subtler than in the other songs and its impact isn’t as immediate. As for the last track, “You Can Do Whatever You Wanna Do,” that’s also not a huge departure, but it’s at a much faster tempo than the other songs on the album, giving this song a punkier edge that I love (think Nasty Facts) and ending the album on a high note. While Can You Keep a Secret?’s polish may be too much for some of the Sorry State crowd, if you have a pop sweet tooth and a soft spot for early 80s new wave, this record is like a one-way ticket to your happy place.