Ezekiel RodofiliI ♡ Space’s Retroceso..1.2.3. is a release I’d been trying to get my hands on for a while. I’m partially repeating myself, but I remember hearing two of its tracks on FBi: “6phase” and “Kung Fu Know How”, and I wanted to hear more. Naturally, the best place to find it was a record store, but I didn’t think to look in any. The next best would’ve been at one of I ♡ Space’s shows, but at the time I wasn’t old enough to attend those. It also didn’t occur to me to check if there were any all ages shows. I did find stuff on The Internet, however, and subsequently got my hands on “6phase”, “Kung Fu Know How” and “Lions vs Christians”.
In 2022 Joel Werner reached out to me regarding my writing about Sinful Sounds of a Vintage City, advising that he read it and appreciated the perspective and time taken. Whilst I stand by what I wrote, I could’ve gone about it much better, but I didn’t and so… yeah. If I covered it now, I’d be a bit more considerate with my wording.
Anyway, as Joel was in I ♡ Space, he sent me Retroceso..1.2.3..
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Retroceso..1.2.3. starts with “6phase”, which has this sort of pulsing, dreamy and direct thing going on. Just a really light and airy-sounding tune, and a good way to start things. It’s declarative and sudden without being brash.
“Trashbag Queen” follows with a greater amount of energy. It’s more direct and does more “rocking out” than “6phase” without feeling like it belongs elsewhere. The added keys, whilst not fully gelling, fill and round out the sound nicely. There’s not much else to say; it’s a neat track and a fitting middle point.
“Kung Fu Know How” is a driving track with a nice pull back / push forward going on. It doesn’t let up though it doesn’t come off as relentless; it has a good balance between what it’s doing and its length. The prior songs are as long as they should be, but this one feels tighter. No second is wasted; it gets in, blasts through and gets out. The few seconds of silence at the end are just a courtesy.
Something I noticed about Retroceso..1.2.3. is that it sounds both complete and incomplete. It’s easy to say this with distance, but whilst the songs have a clear identity and structure, the first two feel like they could be developed further. “Kung Fu Know How” comes off as fully formed, likely in part to how short it is. The other two feel a bit rougher.
It may be a case of the songs needing a better mix. The sound isn’t the clearest, though that’s fine. They don’t need a sleek, shimmery polish; they definitely shouldn’t be sanded back. Joel mentioned that Retroceso..1.2.3. is essentially a single, and came about when the band had enough gig money saved to go and record a song. I can only guess, but I’m guessing that if I ♡ Space had more money and time, the mix would serve the songs better because this isn’t the liveliest mix.
That said, the songs are fun and they work as a collection. No bloat, no missed moments. Just tight, enjoyable music.
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Retroceso..1.2.3. shows a lot of potential. There’s a confidence in it; a sense certainty and knowing, but also a restlessness. It’s a shame that I ♡ Space mostly moved away from what they were doing on it so quickly. However, it makes sense that Sinful Sounds from a Vintage City is not a re-hash. Whilst traces remained, the band saw it better for themselves to branch out rather than refine further.
It’s also a shame that “Lions vs Christians” is not part of the former. However, I’m wondering if it was from a different group/artist, or if I imagined the song entirely. If it is I ♡ Space’s, then there was probably good reason for it’s lack of inclusion.
Retroceso..1.2.3. came out at a time when the Sydney music scene was quite different, and quite the same as it is today. It’s the same kind of passion running through a similar sounds, but facing more openly hostile challenges. Sydney has changed, in some ways better and some ways worse, and what the music scene is today something worn down. Still, it persists and it pushes on and continues to thrive where it can. As such and like all music, the EP is a historical document. It’s part of an older, different kind of fertile period in Sydney’s cultural landscape.
Retroceso..1.2.3. also came out at a time when I was beginning to really explore music. Growing up, I was exposed to a few different forms of it; Print media, FBi and The Internet helped me widen that exposure. Listening to it hasn’t taken me back to that time. Rather, it has reminded me of why I try to keep an open mind and keep digging for music I’m yet to hear. Perhaps more importantly, however, is that I get a few minutes of enjoyable music whenever I put it on.