Au Suisse - Au Suisse (LP) - White Vinyl

Au Suisse feels like one of those records you put on for a quick taste and end up sitting with through the whole side, then flipping straight back to the start. The self-titled debut from the duo of Morgan Geist and Kelley Polar arrived in 2022 and lands with the kind of quiet confidence you only get from artists who have already shaped a chunk of modern dance and pop. Geist, from Metro Area and Storm Queen fame, has long chased a clean, aerodynamic groove. Polar, the classically trained violist who made those cult Environ albums in the mid‑2000s, brings a soft-focus voice and an ear for melody that lingers after the needle lifts. Together they split the difference between synth-pop and after-hours disco, and they do it with restraint.

What strikes first is how little fuss there is. The drums are clipped and dry, the basslines are nimble rather than heavy, and the synths favour satin over chrome. It feels engineered for space, not volume, which lets Polar’s airy tenor thread through the mix without being swallowed by it. There is intimacy here, but also a designer cool, like walking into a bar where the lighting is just right and the bartender knows your order. You can hear Geist’s Metro Area DNA in the bass programming, that elastic, unhurried roll that makes you sit a touch taller. But the songwriting is pop-tight, with choruses that do not announce themselves, they arrive, stick, and then ghost away before you can pin them down.

Lead-up singles teased the palette, and the album delivers on it across a tidy sequence that never wastes a move. The hooks are economical. A simple vocal phrase, a delicate countermelody on synth, a guitar figure tucked to the side, that is often enough. Where many retro-leaning projects chase period detail, Au Suisse opts for feel. You get shades of sophisti-pop, Balearic ease, maybe a yacht-soul breeze, but nothing plays like a pastiche. The duo are too fussy about sonics, too careful with negative space, to let nostalgia do the heavy lifting.

That sense of care pays off on vinyl. This is a record built for living rooms and late-night drives, and the pressing gives it air to move. If you have been crate-digging for Metro Area or Kelley Polar vinyl, file Au Suisse right beside them and you will hear a throughline. The kick sits warm in the pocket, the hi-hats tick without splash, and small production decisions, little panning feints and synth swells, pop into focus on a decent system. It is the sort of album that makes you want to tidy the house, dim the lights, and invite a friend over who still listens front to back.

There is also a pleasing maturity to the lyrics. Polar has always written like someone who reads widely and knows when less says more. Here he circles themes of control, desire, and memory with a light touch. Nothing screams for attention, which makes the small flashes feel earned. Geist matches that tone. The arrangements rarely crowd the vocal, and when the rhythm section does step forward it feels like a conversation, not a contest. You can tell this project was not rushed. It plays like two artists meeting in the middle after years of parallel work, then editing until only the necessary parts remain.

If you are the sort who hunts for understated charm rather than bangers, this hits a sweet spot. Fans of Junior Boys, Everything But the Girl’s cooler moments, or the pop side of Arthur Russell should find plenty to love. And for anyone filling a basket with vinyl records Australia side, Au Suisse is an easy add, the kind of LP a Melbourne record store staffer would quietly push across the counter with a nod. If you are looking to buy Au Suisse records online, it is worth grabbing the Au Suisse vinyl before it becomes one of those titles you have to chase down later. Searches for Au Suisse albums on vinyl will likely lead you to the self-titled release, which is the right place to start and, at least for now, the only place you need to be.

The best part is how replayable it is. You can drop the needle for company, or sink into the details on headphones and trace the line of a bass run you missed the last time. It is chic without feeling brittle, romantic without falling into syrup. In a year that brimmed with louder statements, Au Suisse chose elegance. Good call.