- If this year's Big Black Coat was a return to form for Junior Boys, then their Kiss Me All Night EP is a resonant echo of the ideas that made the album so satisfying. Jeremy Greenspan and Matt Didemus once again roll together smooth '80s pop tropes with classic dance music and distinctive sound design, and the effect is once again quietly seductive. A cover of John Martyn's "Some People Are Crazy" exemplifies the simple power Junior Boys can wield. This version is little more than a minimal rhythm, a muffled bassline and a few warm synth chords, but with the duo's sensitive touch, it's a celestial ballad that keeps you hanging on every delicate movement.
In the vein of Big Black Coat, "Yes" and "Baby Fat" are solid dance-pop tunes that deserve this standalone release, even if they're not so tonally distinct. Where the former song balances Greenspan's infectious songwriting with the kind of incessant club motifs favored by Didemus, the latter lets the dance floor hold sway more prominently—and is stronger for the extra force and economy. On the other hand, fans could probably do without the EP's title track, a prosaic, mid-tempo callback to Big Black Coat's much better "Over It" and "Baby Don't Hurt Me." But what that song lacks in fresh ideas, the rest of Kiss Me All Night drips with the slick, refined dynamism of peak Junior Boys.
Tracklist01. Yes
02. Baby Fat
03. Some People Are Crazy
04. Kiss Me All Night