Guest post by Milena Nugget (Optimal Ripeness)
This album gives me the chills. With the expansive synth sound typified by other Australian synth-pop groups like Icehouse, and brutally catchy, Madonna-esque sugary dance beats, this is a record full of earworms.
At the centre is Tina Cross’s exceptional voice, which can range from the cool and gliding (“Over to You,” “Think of Me”) to the effortlessly bouncy (“Body Talk,” “Meant to Be”), and suggests Kate Bush and Cyndi Lauper inspiration.
In several ways Koo Dé Tah stood in contrast with their contemporaries. Australian pop music in the 80s was heavily Anglo-Saxon male-dominated—whether by virtue of the pub rock circuit, insular cultural attitudes, or otherwise. Koo Dé Tah was comprised of two accomplished musicians with differing backgrounds (New Zealander Tina Cross with Māori heritage, and former Russian popstar Leon Berger). That they had a radio hit with “Too Young For Promises” and were still unafraid to take risks and experiment makes this record all the more remarkable.
Been playing this on repeat for the last month. This is top-tier pop—up there with the Pet Shop Boys’ debut and Madonna’s True Blue for the best of ’86. A real diamond in the rough. Much appreciated!!
Trawling through some memories of my Australian youth, i revisited this recently & yes was blown away by how great this band was, which kind of escaped my white-bread anti-synth leanings at the time. So not sure if i am surprised to see this, or unsurprised you have dug it up …
Probably the other synth band from the 80s you may not be aware of is the Reels? they had some stellar pop singles early on & then sidestepped into easy-listening albums full of Bacharach covers & the like. I think this would tick a few of your boxes, & they are a much underrated band.