Chicago-based duo SNST (pronounced sunset) offers a vivid pallet of synth and New Wave sounds that are informed by modern pop music and post-punk in equal parts. It is a mix of the things that make Chris Broach (Braid, The Firebird Band) and his wife Sonja Rae tick and as they’ve been rolling out the singles from their forthcoming, It’s Hard to Be Loved By You, over the last months it has become clear that these two tick best when making danceable music with a commanding, pristine female lead vocal. “I 4 I,” the single Ghettoblaster has the pleasure of sharing today, is no exception.

“I wrote this song with a sequencer program I have on my iPhone and then dumped it into Protools to work on,” Chris Broach says. “I maybe added an extra kick and snare a small synth pump on the chords over the top when I brought it into pro tools to work on, but it pretty much stayed exactly as I wrote it originally. A little electric bass line to hit the down beats on the synth bass line, but I didn’t feel like it needed any other instrumentation or arrangement. It’s really very simple, but it’s full and beautiful.

“It was instrumental for so long, and I used to just play it on my car stereo over and over again listening to that synth line and turn it up and drive,” he adds. “I showed it to Sonja and she sat down, wrote the vocals and literally came down to the studio and did the vocals in one half-hour session. A couple of takes and we were done.”

Sonja Broach recalled listening to the track, and immediately loving it. “It’s my absolute favorite track on the record.  This song has the ability to sound both old and relevant, dark but still has movement. We recorded it fast because from the first timeIi listened to it I knew exactly what I wanted to do: sing in lock step melody in the second half of the verse. 

“Lyrically this is about a relationship – plain and simple – and trying anything that will save it,” she adds. “Almost everyone can relate to this topic, and musically I feel that the song is pretty authentic.”

Pre-order the record on vinyl here (U.S.) and here (International and digital).