Unfortunately, “Molly” — “Red”’s love note to the pretty-in-pink magic of Ms. Ringwald — now plays like a tribute to the late John Hughes. “She very poetically captures youth in the ’80s,” says Saroea of the actress in Hughes’ films. “What John Hughes did in the early ’80s, you don’t see things like that now.”
Fredrik Saroea isn’t afraid of a gimmick. The Datarock frontman was more than happy to name his band’s new album after their signature stage uniforms.
“It’s a tribute to the honorary third member of Datarock, the red tracksuit,” says Saroea of “Red,” which was released in June. “What the hell are you going to call an album anyway? ‘Datarock’? What does that even mean?”
But there’s far more about the Norwegian dance rock collective that winks at their kitsch factor. While their affection for all things early ’80s and David Byrne is nothing new — their 2007 stateside hit, “Fa Fa Fa,” borrowed its name from a Talking Heads refrain — “Red” takes it a step further with “True Stories,” a track whose lyrics are made up entirely of the Heads’ song titles.
“It was layers upon layers of geekiness,” says Saroea of writing the song. “And really, a big shout out and thank you to the Talking Heads.”
Not that “Red” is all tricks and giggles. From the charming and unexpected existential crisis in “Fear of Death” to the infectious, disco-y “Dance,” the album holds up decades after new wave and hours after the party. Which helps when you’re on an international tour promoting it. “The dance floor made our career, but that said, let’s make sure we make an album we love and will love playing a couple hundred times,” Saroea says.
monica weymouth
Datarock
Tonight, 8
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