Review by Daniel Deprè
“Remember When” is a glistening call-back to happier times. The song opens up with some beautifully designed synth sounds to set the light and airy atmosphere for the rest of the track. Immediately there is a cinematic vibe felt and this largely a result of the very strong sense of mood. Despite being instrumental, there is a story being told by the synths and guitars and it’s delightfully expressive. On top of all that, it’s an undeniably cool song that will make you feel awesome. It’s the kind of song we all need right now as we continue in isolation.
Calling upon the stylings of classic Retro-Synthwave music, this track thrives in remembering happier days. The intro synths are very spacey and more passive, allowing the listener to get lost in the feeling and powerful imagery evoked by this song. A lead synth comes in next that is incredibly lyrical and moving. It’s got a nice round sound that has just the right amount of buzz and portamento in its design to help set it apart from the rest of the synths. The guitar is so humble in its performance, but it adds such a crucial colorization to the vibe. While all the synths are very open and floaty, the guitar is drier sounding and hits a bit harder than everything else. This gives the song some catchy rhythmic flare, along with the rock-steady drums maintaining a very catchy beat.
Often with instrumental music, the danger is a song could get too repetitive and the listener may lose interest. This is certainly not the case with “Remember When”. The arrangement of the song structure is well balanced, and each section has a clear distinct sound from the rest. There is even an unexpected key change halfway through the song to take the listener to a new place for a little bit before it returns to the original key for the remainder of the song. “Remember When” Is a feel-good instrumental jam that is a wonderful throwback to the happy vibe of 80’s synth wave music.
Stream on Spotify
About Catherine Duc
Catherine Duc started her musical journey from a young age. Duc studied keyboard and classical piano and later completed studies in music arrangement, live recording, and production at the Alfred Brash Sound House in the Melbourne Concert Hall. She also has a Diploma in Film Music Composition from The London School of Creative Studies. Her work has been aired on Australian Broadcasting Corporation's ABC Jazz. In July 2005 Duc issued her debut album, Visions and Dreams, and the following year she supplied keyboards for Priscilla Hernández's album, Ancient Shadows.
In October 2012 Duc released her latest single, "Single Glance", which was produced by Stuart Epps (Elton John, Robbie Williams). In an interview with Vents Magazine, she revealed that she was finishing work on her second album and that the album has a lot more Celtic influences compared to her previous album, with a greater focus on live instruments (ranging from acoustic and electric guitars to mandolins, Irish flutes, and bagpipes).
In 2015 she signed a record deal for her album "Voyager" with UK-based label MG Music (owned by New Age composer and musician Medwyn Goodall) and received a Grammy nomination for 'Best New Age Album'. In 2016 Duc remixed The Corrs' song "Intimacy" which was released through Warner Music UK.
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