Rialto – No One Leaves This Discotheque Alive Review

A return to the studio over two decades in the making, Rialto’s return is tremendous. What an occasion it is. No One Leaves This Discotheque Alive is based on near-death experiences, on unfinished business, whatever it is that drives Rialto now is what they put down in this song. A daring piece of work, one which sheds the nostalgic glaze which happens for any band around in the 1990s. Crucial to the surprise, to the growing love of their return, is the unexpected appeal of it. A band which seemed so far removed from the conversation of studio or stage appearances. Their dormant state felt permanently inactive, but No One Leaves This Discotheque Alive provides the surprise the band were seemingly hoping for on confirming their return through Rough Trade Records. What a welcome surprise it is, but what is left once that shock dissipates? 

Feverish, ambitious work is what remains. No One Leaves This Discotheque Alive is not a return so much as it is a reminder of Rialto. Just because they are not in the spotlight does not mean they are not observing the world around them, not interacting with the intricacies and interests of the times. Prowling the streets of London puts Rialto in a position of observation, and that is what No One Leaves This Discotheque Alive details. Twenty-five years to form thoughts on the capital city and what comes through most of all is the upbeat thrill, the well-managed tempo and soft suggestions of death in the streets where love conquers all. Like any return, No One Leaves This Discotheque Alive may serve as a route to earlier works. Rialto has enough to offer, and the build towards third album Neon & Ghosts Signs is well on its way.  

What No One Leaves This Discotheque Alive offers is a sweet blur of electronics and pop, a slightly sinister effort where the synthpop feels ready to overwhelm a character set to lose their head. Their overwhelmed presence in London, the sights and sounds which affect their worldview with such immediacy, is a welcome route through a strong lead single. How we cope with the new world, the ever-shifting suggestive nature of ATMs and the late-stage capitalism feel, is up to us. Crawl the streets in pursuit of some salvation. Whether that is in bars or brutal notions is up to the individual, what Rialto finds is escapism is a key even if it is not achieved. The promise of lifting yourself from the sludge of day-to-day activities is enough of a rise.  

Fitting it may be to hear Rialto reserve their synthpop-like tones from the past, it is not as though they are not evolving this genre. No One Leaves This Discotheque Alive oozes a coolness which, when aimed for, is never achieved. Rialto manages it, though, through this sense of wild-eyed puzzlement with the modern world. This is not to say they are out of step; Rialto is very much keeping up and lapping most of the electro-pop efforts of recent memory, but it does suggest some confusion with how the world developed in their twenty-year absence. Keeping up with the times but commenting on their continuation is a tricky balancing act which few can manage. Rialto makes it look easy, and sound exhilarating.