AC Freazy rocked onto the Auckland music scene with the promising and polished single Creeping In – a wonderful and dreamy synthpop ode-to-the-‘80s.

The catchy yet subtle lyrics (the shift in lyrics in the last chorus is a really nice touch) showed drummer-turned synth babe Alex Freer (Artisan Guns, Tiny Ruins, Clap Clap Riot), understands both good pop progression and sonic textural layering.

The song is beautifully mixed and would happily sit in any synth-pop playlist amongst much bigger hits. Creeping In showed serious potential for the impending self-titled EP – and in some aspects that potential has definitely been fulfilled.

The mixing is consistently tight across the four tracks, each song sounding complete and beautifully layered. The intro to Love In Other Places makes you want to slink onto a dance floor. Instrumentation feels reserved but it also holds your interest – nothing feels sonically new yet I get the feeling that Freer has carefully considered every instrument and texture with real intention.

Possibly he plays it a little bit too safe on this EP, holding on to the security of well-established styles and progressions rather than exploring and ending up somewhere entirely new.

Some of the synth sounds and vocal techniques – while beautiful and well processed – feel so familiar and iconically ‘80s that it almost feels like ‘era music’.

I must also comment on how daring it is to have a song titled almost exactly the same as another hit pop song with just under a billion Youtube views.

Nevertheless, A.C. Freazy has shown he knows how to write appealing synth-pop and this first release is both fun and promising.

Hopefully, those songwriting chops will be paired on future releases with a more unique sound.