Dragon Inn - Double Line [CD]

2018 release. Dragon Inn 3's debut LP clocks in at 28 minutes, but the band spent six years whittling away on the songs that would eventually become Double Line. Combining sugary pop hooks, hypnotic beats, and huge MOOG synths, Dragon Inn 3's playful take on '80s pop could double as the soundtrack to a John Hughes movie (if John Hughes directed Blade Runner). Opening track 'What Kind Of World Are You Living In' plays like Blondie if the band hired Hall and Oates to record guitars. The album takes an intimate turn with 'Bad Boy,' Bowie's dreamy 'Rocket Launcher,' and Bentley's introspective cover of Robin Gibb's 'Juliet.' Then there are Italo-disco tinged tracks 'Backstabber' and 'Club Sauce,' with sing-songy pop hooks that harken back to Madonna and Whitney Houston's greatest hits. With members spread out over the country (Kansas City, Los Angeles, and Springfield, MO), the group signed to American Laundromat Records in early 2018.