Gruppo Sportivo – Design Moderne

When you’re on a record jaunt with some friends at a store that you won’t get to often and you run across an album by an old favorite band that you have never heard or even heard of, you just buy the album. And that’s how earlier this year I picked up Gruppo Sportivo’s 1982 “Design Moderne.” Another one that never got a US release (Netherlands, Germany and Spain only). I’d say this is a more mature version of Gruppo Sportivo, a little less manic than those first recordings, maybe a little more polished. Quite enjoyable. Since I’ve spent most of the pandemic in a blues or blues-rock space, I can’t say that I’ve really had a lot of room for Dutch synthpop, but when I listen, I like it.

At one point I had a copy of their 1981 album “Pop! Goes The Brain” on tape (borrowed the album from Jerry, who introduced me to the band in the first place), but it never got a lot of plays, and the cassette is long gone. If I run across it, I’ll definitely pick that up as well.