Cheap Fantasy

Minneapolis-based pop duo Cheap Fantasy is the dreamy synth project of Jordan Bleau, formed in 2016 with bandmate Rose von Muchow. Defined by vintage drum machines, layered wavering synths, and driving guitar and bass lines, Bleau produces a signature sound of upbeat, distorted melodies. His washed out vocals pivot between a lyric-focused minimalism to blending with twinkling synths and warm guitars that create a consuming largeness. After releasing three singles between 2016 and 2017, their EP Life of Glass and a newfound partnership with Minnesota label Forged Artifacts cemented Cheap Fantasy as a heavy, complex voice in pop. With an established involvement and popularity in the Minneapolis music scene garnered from other projects -- lo-fi garage rock Frankie Teardrop, namely -- and support from the local indie label, Bleau's new sound with Cheap Fantasy quickly came into favor with Minneapolis crowds. The involvement of visual art became an inseparable part of the project, with video projections made by Bleau being the centrifugal force of live performances, and a cohesive and identifiable aestheticism derived from digital neo-minimalism creating a world in which the music and visual aspects of Cheap Fantasy seem to converse.


-Caroline White