Desire
Formed: 2009
Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Genre: Synth Wave
Years Active: 2009 -
Meaning of the Name:
Core Members: Megan Louise, Johnny Jewel
Way of Working: Led by Johnny Jewel
Associated: Chromatics, Glass Candy
Essential Releases
II (2009)
Debut album. Nocturnal ride through synth wave.
Desire contrast futuristic, synth-drenched disco with the intrinsic nostalgia of valley girl vocal stylings to great effect. Their story, however, starts long before they formed in 2009 on the cobblestone streets of Montreal. It all began with an ambitious young musician called John Padgett, who would later rebrand himself as the dazzling Johnny Jewel: record producer, label supremo and a concurrent member of three separate bands — one of which was Desire.
The first, Chromatics, was initially a struggling art-punk outfit formed by Adam Miller in 2001. Jewel joined them four years later and before long he transformed their sound into the familiar cinematic synth wave we know today; a sonic throwback reminiscent of classic '80s sci-fi films such as Blade Runner and Escape From New York.
Jewel wrote and produced almost the entirety of their critically-acclaimed album Night Drive (2007), relegating his bandmates to mere supporting players but he was still unsatisfied. He co-founded Italians Do It Better Records with partner Mike Simonetti around the same time. Like Miller before him, Simonetti also ceded control to Jewel and later formed 2MR, an independent record label, in 2014. He spoke of the experience to Vehlinggo
"The label name was my idea. I’m fucking Italian! It’s weird seeing a non-Italian running a label called ‘Italians Do It Better."
Jewel insisted on producing the vast majority of the label's music, as well as designing the album covers, and leading multiple bands at the same time. Egos were inevitably bruised by his refusal to delegate a Hereculean workload but the success of the film Drive (2011), which featured songs by both Chromatics and Desire on the soundtrack, acted as an inflection point for the entire genre. At the time of writing, Rate Your Music lists 88 synth wave releases for 2011 and 958 for 2014. An increase of 1144% in just three years.While other artists featured on the OST for Drive, such as Kavinsky, whose song 'Nightcall' amassed half a billion views on Spotify, many of the genre's new devotees said "eureka" when they found Italians Do It Better — an established treasure trove of that same neon soaked sound.
As the fruits of his labour ripened however, Jewel's desire for control and idiosyncratic methods pushed his closest partners away. First Simonetti, and then Chromatics, who broke up in 2021 due to ongoing frustrations around their unreleased album Dear Tommy. They were deprived of potential income when Jewel reportedly destroyed 25,000 copies of the record after a near-death experience.
His painstaking perfectionism elevated his bands to success, influenced mainstream artists such as The Weeknd and Dua Lipa to incorporate synths into their work, but also sank two of his projects. Glass Candy are inactive since 2008. Desire, however, remain standing tall, evolving their sound with film noir influences and complex synth-pop arrangements. Despite his flaws, Jewel will be remembered as an undeniably talented musician who, perhaps, obstructed his own progress by refusing to loosen the reins.
Skills
*This is a work in progress. Values are subjective.Emotional Impact
60
Mental Impact
60
Originality
65
Artistry
90
Authenticity
40
Live
60
Production
85
Musicianship
70
Singing
75
Songwriting
85
Danceability
70
Fun
70
Consistency
60
Range
45
Cool
60
Charisma
45
Commercial & Critical Success
Awards
Certifications
Charts
Critics
- Fact: II - Best Albums of 2019: 14th
