Dilettante (2022)
Released as a self-titled debut under the name Dilettante, this is the kind of first record that feels like a slow sunrise. The duo have since renamed themselves Absolute Treat, which, fair enough, is exactly what they are. Natalie Panacci and Julia Wittmann build songs out of soft melancholia and warm synth beds, their voices gliding around each other in a way that pulls easy comparisons to ABBA and St. Lucia.
Intro opens the door slowly, all shimmering synths and dewy texture, with a calm that’s hard to come by these days. Home breezes in right after with the effervescent alt-synth-pop the duo does so well, ethereal and upbeat, the kind of song that asks “What more could you want?” and then delivers it.
Bonnie transports you to an island dreamscape, with percussion that sways like palm trees and synths that pierce through like sunlight. The vocals layer and harmonize with effortless cool, giving the whole thing a sonic richness that feels both fresh and nostalgic. Then comes Stay, and suddenly you’re in the hands of two girls that know exactly how to pace a journey. It gives and takes like a practiced storyteller, its push and pull carefully controlled, the rare track that earns your attention through restraint as much as release.
Blue is the power ballad. Falsetto, angelic, achingly sincere, floating in an analog haze that wouldn’t feel out of place on an early Queen of Jeans record. Then halfway through it shifts, building into a soaring 60s beach-rock anthem with glowing synth trails behind it. Unexpected and somehow inevitable at the same time, and a clear standout. Tom swerves again right when you think you’ve got the album figured out, trading the synth-pop for something a little more electric and edged, though those signature vocals keep it tethered. A welcome turn.
And then there’s Connie, and Connie is sexy. A character, a vibe, a moment. The storytelling is seductive, but it’s the saxophone solo that seals the deal. It slinks in with a kind of grown-up charisma that instantly hits. Whether or not you can rise to the occasion, well… that’s between you and Connie.
Monster sends things off with real lift, a dreamy, synth-forward anthem with driving percussion and sky-high harmonies that picks you up right when you want it and leaves you on a glittering high, like the back end of an M83 record
Dilettante crackles with synth-pop confidence start to finish, a refreshing shot of pop that’s satisfying without ever coasting. From the first note it doesn’t grab you so much as invite you in. Dreamy, cinematic, and sure of itself, Absolute Treat isn’t out to prove anything here. They just shine.
