Review: Cascada – ‘Run’

I would normally run a mile from someone who uses the expression “guilty pleasure,” especially when it comes to music. Nobody should ever be ashamed of liking a particular song, for music is meant to be enjoyed and nobody in music really knows what they’re talking about. However – insert dramatic Joe pause here – if I were to label any of my music tastes as a guilty pleasure, it would certainly be Cascada.

If you gloss over 2012’s forgotten Christmas album, the trio’s last big moment was all the way back in 2009’s chart-topping ‘Evacuate The Dancefloor,’ so if the trials and tribulations of the year after since have caused you memory loss, allow me to help you revisit this wonderful Eurodance collective. Cascada comprises production duo DJ Manian and DJ Yanou (who you’ll remember from timeless club anthem ‘Heaven‘) alongside vocalist Natalie Horler, who is unsurprisingly face of the group. ‘Run’ captures the amazing essence of what they do best together: neither shy nor embarrassed, it’s just good quality, cheesy, fun dance music. Admittedly, it does sound a lot more mature than their previous efforts, but in no way is this a bad thing – we’ve all grown up a little and may well brush it off as uncool otherwise. This comes through in its more relaxed tempo and well-tamed synths, which nicely offer a backing for Horler’s beautifully powerful voice. There’s a real energy to it that’s hard to find elsewhere.

Overall, you could easily just accept this as a nice pop/house crossover track and completely ignore the group’s heritage, but where’s the fun in that? Let’s just all hope for ‘Run’ to be the beginning of a proper Cascada comeback in 2017 – the world needs a bit of a cheering up.

‘Run’ is out now via All Around The World