‘Salt Cathedral’ is a duo of Colombian musicians now based in New York who play an innovative brand of Electro-pop. Their single No Love is a breezy track full of unexpected flourishes and sonic additions. The song is peppered with bleeps and layered vocal samples that build up into a collage-like sonic backdrop. It is an arresting combination that manages to generate an unusual approach to the instrumentation, stitching together discordant elements, without feeling cluttered.
The thread that ties the whole song together is a beat that feels as if it could have been lifted straight from a dancehall track. The vocals are fitted over it well, the enunciation matching the slight fluctuations in the rhythm. The interplay between the two bears some resemblance to ‘TuneYards’ approach to constructing a track around off-kilter accompaniment and vocalisations.
The lyrics are positively inflected, in keeping with the buoyant feel of the track. “and if you’re looking to fight with me intermittently, all I got for you is bread and flowers.” This sentiment is boosted by the singing style which has a sugary lilt to it.
Another recurrent motif is the marimba-like sound effect, which is reminiscent of the noise made when you collect coins in old Mario games. Possibly that effect does begin to grate a little as the song progresses but it contributes to the overall game-like aesthetic that runs through No Love. The song also ends with a final noise that brings to mind the sound when a level is completed.
This is a quirky track which succeeds in sounding original whilst retaining the basic elements of a good pop song. The more experimental aspects keep it interesting, and the positive enthusiasm that it portrays through its hopeful lyrics and sunny sound comes across well.