Exclusive: Stream Pastel Blank’s New Curated “My Favourite Grooves of All-Time” Spotify Playlist

By: Staff –

To celebrate the release of Pastel Blank’s new single “Dopamine”, the indie rock artist curated a brand new “My Favourite Grooves of All-Time” Spotify playlist that can be stream below! 

Formed in 2019 from lead singer/songwriter Angus Watt’s desire to provoke more dancing within the Victoria, B.C. indie music community, Pastel Blank carries on the torch of such genre-defying luminaries as Talking Heads and Women. Kaleidoscopic guitarwork blends together jagged jabs of funk, soft shades of bossa-nova, and punchy disco beats to create a listening experience that flows between the grooves of indie rock, prog-pop, and new wave.

Produced by longtime band member and musical polymath Connor Head, “Dopamine” is the second single from Pastel Blank’s forthcoming debut album. One of Watt’s desires for the recording in-studio was for the single to express the excitement and playfulness of the soon-to-be infamous Pastel Blank live show. “Dopamine” is about the moment when you realize you’ve been flipping between apps like you’re checking an empty fridge for the 10th time, hoping to feed your receptors something that feels as good as the younger days of however long ago you picked up your phone.

Fela Kuti – “Zombie”

What I would give to see Fela Kuti and Africa 70 live – a true force of nature. The guitar part for Dopamine was written with the sort of scratchy, rake-y playing on “Zombie” in mind. 

Talking Heads – “I Zimbra”

Pastel Blank gets a lot of Talking Heads comparisons, which I won’t even try to deny. I love ‘em! All the Afrobeat-inspired polyrhythms on this song and “Remain in Light” were a big influence on the way we approached layering on “Dopamine”, especially at the end of the song. 

Parquet Courts – “Wide Awake”

The percussion on “Wide Awake” is so essential. Asides from that, you have a pretty skeletal arrangement, with the guitars and bass playing simple, repetitive parts that lock in perfectly with each other, and a hook that’s so catchy it negates the need for any additional lyrics. For “Dopamine”, I wanted to keep the lyrics super simple and let all the different rhythms take precedence. 

Deerhoof – “Believe ESP”

Whenever I hear the call and response of the opening guitar and the percussion I always have to mime the cowbell part. It’s just so nasty. I love how the horn stabs and frenetic drumming at the end give this feeling of the song falling apart. I’m always trying to reach that perfect combo of groove and angularity when I write for Pastel Blank.  

CAN – “I Want More”

I first heard this after I semi-accidentally took acid before landscaping. I listened to it every day for like, a solid month after. Perfect song to soundtrack your first steps out of the house! I’m always chasing the perfect walking song. 

Herbie Hancock – “Hang Up Your Hang Ups”

There’s a live version of this that’s a bit faster. It also has some of my favourite guitar playing by Wah Wah Watson. There’s this one moment where he takes a break and his shoulder is going off like a funk piston. The way it starts off with just guitar and then slowly introduces other instruments was in mind for the arrangement of “Dopamine”, though Herbie really lets it simmer. 

Prince – “Head” 

One of my favourite Prince tracks; instantly makes me want to move my body. The way the synth solo enters is sheer perfection; I think if you’re gonna have a solo in a song, especially if the song has been grooving for a while, you gotta make a memorable entrance! 

Marcos Valle – “Estrelar”

Sunny, sweaty, Brazilian funk. There is so much rhythmic intricacy on this album. It makes me want to go study in Brazil! The horn parts on this song informed the sax arrangement on “Dopamine” for sure. 

CHIC – “Everybody Dance” 

I could probably just listen to Bernard Edwards bass part isolated and be happy with that. Yet they went and wrote that catchy-ass hook, and Nile Rodgers doing all the fine detail work with his harmonized bends at the end is the cherry on top – his tone and playing are a big inspiration to me. To dance to this in a discotheque in the 70s would be a dream! 

Kenix, Bobby Youngblood, Masters at Work – “There’s Never Been (No One like You)”

This song is a great example of how much you can do with a simple loop. The vocal performance is amazing. Another great example of parts being introduced one by one, classic funk style. 

MFSB – “Mysteries of the World” 

I wrote the bass part for “Dopamine” with this track in mind; I remember the first time I heard it come on I was like “What is this song?!”. 

Sandro Perri – “Wrong about the Rain”

I love this song for the way it balances groove and texture. It just bounces along so gently. That sneaky clav part subtly ties it all together. It’s a great reminder that a part doesn’t need to take up a lot of space in order to be effective.