First Impressions: “I Forget About Time” by the Salarymen

For those of us Up Above, aka in the Northern Hemisphere, the Salarymen are a retro-minded rock duo (Renee de la Motte and Thom Eagleton) from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. They first turned ears in their home country with their catchy debut single, “Please,” in late 2019, and have followed it with a string of equally delightful songs and two EPs, all recorded in their home studio. Their sound leans heavy on the New Wave stylings of the late 1970s and early ‘80s—think jangly guitars, lush harmonies and melodies that circle the sun—but it’s more than that. There’s a psychedelic undercurrent with some songs, an embrace of pop on others, and a folky flavor to others.

“I Forget About Time,” released last week, conjures Blondie circa the late 1970s and early ‘80s. About the only thing missing is hydrogen peroxide.

On the song’s Bandcamp page, they explain that it’s “for all the people who immediately locate the dog at a house party and spend the whole night with them. And those who say they’re too busy to come out as they’ve already got plans (with their dog).” Even we feline fiends can relate to that!