Outside In(fluence): Satellite Young - "Moment in Slow Motion" single review

I've been listening to a lot of city pop recently. Essentially a Japanese form of disco and synth-pop that inspired vaporwave, city pop owes a lot to Yellow Magic Orchestra as a whole and its individual members. While browsing Bandcamp, I came across the fantastic synth duo, Satellite Young. That's a fabulous name, and they have a very cool sound to boot.

A month ago, November 2nd, 2018, Satellite Young released the single "Moment in Slow Motion" to Bandcamp. The cover artwork by Kana Tarao is both beautiful and alien. It appears as a still life, objects floating on the cool water. A splotchy pyramid hangs near a giant lens and a small palm. These are all symbols of vaporwave, that whole scene beyond just that type of reused mall musick. It works decently here, the sculptural appearance going beyond the usual. I don't love the composition, unfortunately.

Now, the composition of the actual song is another matter. It has a beautiful pop structure reminiscent of those 80s tunes that I have been listening to, mostly the tracks from Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam and weird, trash anime OVAs. I can't understand most of the lyrics, and that's fine. The vocals are strong, with background peeps appearing when they are needed and a small hint of reverb enhancing the minty flavor already produced by those crisp keyboards and rich bass. I get lost in these kind of tracks, displacing time, wind, light, Sun, Moon, and stars; it's a neon world of night full of cars and poofy hair. "Moment in Slow Motion" is just that, and when it cuts off after a short instrumental and synth solo, I want more. I'll be sure to watch for more from Satellite Young. "Moment in Slow Motion" receives a Good.