Belgian artists Munatix release ‘You Just Keep Hanging On’ on 31 July

Jul 18

Jul 18 Belgian artists Munatix release ‘You Just Keep Hanging On’ on 31 July

Munatix are a euro-synthpop duo from Genk in Belgium consisting of Rick (Erik Knockaert) and Josh (Jos Sleurs). Their new track You Just Keep Hanging On will be released on Friday 31st of July. It is again a classic synthpop song, influenced by the likes of Erasure, Giorgio Moroder, Chromeo… Despite this classic influence, the music is produced in a contemporary way which makes it sound fresh for the 21st century.

In February 2019 Munatix released their debut single The Rhythm Sets My Heart on Fire, followed in the same year by You Are Out of My League and I’m Home Free. Early 2020 saw the release of the excellent Groovin’ Is My Hobby. This latest release with be their fifth single in a busy 18 month period. A rising name on the synth-pop scene, Munatix have made it to the ‘New Music Friday’ Spotify curated playlist have reached the 60,000 streams milestone on Spotify. Munatix are looking to produce an album and then build a live set band for a tour.

I grew up on the 80’s synth scene. My first music loves were artists such as Gary Numan, Kraftwerk, Cabaret Voltaire, Human League, Japan, Blancmange, Depeche Mode et al…. Munatix take that retro sound but give it a modern twist.

You Just Keep Hanging On is a wonderfully simple song really, about love, but now it’s in the world of smartphones and apps ! You Just Keep Hanging On is a song about long distance relationships, in a world dominated by continuous connectivity. It deals with what it feels like to love someone, at a distance when virtual contact can be so easy through messaging apps and technology. Despite the physical separation, somehow we still feel a closeness. You’re just a click of a button away, and a selfie makes them feel more real, more there….. But then, there’s the physical separation as the lyrics describe the agony of distance “I want to come over…. I want to come over…. I so want to….. Tomorrow is so far away, I just can’t get over, I just want you to stay”

I still have a love for the 80’s analogue synth sound. There’s nothing quite like the sound of a MiniMoog, Jupiter 8, Prophet 5 or a TR-808 drum machine. You Just Keep Hanging On is firmly rooted in this sound, but has a contemporary feel to it too. It has wonderful harmonies and layered synth pad sounds in the chorus, and a delightful punchy (MiniMoog ?) baseline running through it driving the track. There are some wonderfully crafted vintage fat analogue synth sounds in here. It’s fresh and lively, and has that Erasure like fresh beat to it. Rick’s vocals are spot on and fit the feel of the track perfectly. It has a great melody and is one of those tracks you really want to sing along to.

The production is fantastic and the track holds together well. The guys clearly know their synths and the sound layering is executed well. Fun, funky and relevant. It’s a great track and I look forward to hearing more from Munatix in the future.

A great release from the guys from Genk, and deserving of an 8.5 from LiveWire Music.