Dark Tropics - 'I Bet You Can'
With ‘I Bet You Can’, Dark Tropics kick off a new era with a captivating single that reminds you what the duo do best.
The Northern Irish pair released an album ‘Ink’ in 2021, and followed it last year with the stunning track ‘Midnight 10th of December’. It’s quite a world Rio and Gerard have built for themselves, but the new single shows Dark Tropics are well placed for bigger things.
‘I Bet You Can’ begins with a sweeping instrumental before Rio’s enchanting voice comes in – “Transform this day into night”. The duo dance between light and black, and that’s visible here too.
The band are set to support Belle & Sebastian in Ireland this year – a marker of their alternative side. With a great chorus and a series of beautiful woos, maybe a closer comparison is the straight-up pop of Florence and the Machine – an intriguing female vocal soaring over cool electronic sounds.
It’s hard to look past Rio, as she sings “the devil’s got something new for me”, or even the chorus line, “I bet you can.” Her playful personality is central to the video too.
But the visuals also have a performance element, highlighting this is not a one-woman show. Gerard is the heart underneath, his sonic synth line adding to the mystery that make Dark Tropics sing on an instrumental level – having a really great singer is just a handy bonus.
Dark Tropics build on the rich musical history of Northern Ireland, and form their own place that could be anywhere. Musically, they’ve always had a timeless aspect, and that remains true here. They should be bigger – they’ll struggle to get better. (Although I thought the same with the great songs that packed out ‘Ink’.)
It’s alternative pop at its poppiest, shining a beacon of light on what Dark Tropics do on stage, and in the studio. It pulls you in with talent, and leaves a vivid shimmer of grooves in your brain. At a bleak time, we all need Dark Tropics. Don’t bet against them.
Words by Samuel Draper
