USED 2B USED

Used 2B Used finds Tape Lab back in the studio with a collection that is loose, melodic, nostalgic, and proudly strange. The album moves through soothing beat work, string-led interludes, live drums, ROM-pler textures, grimy bass, and vocoder-heavy summer anthems. A well-curated detour through Tape Lab’s analog-minded universe.

“Smidginto” opens the release with a steady, soothing beat and a soft intro melody, setting a relaxed but intentional tone. “String~dup” follows with a melodic string quartet feel, showing Tape Lab’s more graceful and cinematic side. SANDALWAVE arrives as the album’s Hamptons-coded centerpiece: a vocoder anthem about a middle-aged man confidently arriving at the bar in sandals and jeans. Perfect jam for Summer 2026!

The album keeps shifting shape with “Reparadox,” a drum-driven groover featuring real live drums and a funky Tape Lab synth motif. CLQWRX—pronounced “clickworks”—brings a brighter, educational energy, built around the power of being yourself and believing in what makes you different. With nostalgic ROM-pler textures, generous SoundCanvas D70 tones, and Roland R3 leads, for early-digital warmth. “Lot Wizard” delivers a gritty love letter to parking lot DJ setups at music festivals, complete with dark grime bass and a festival-after-hours edge.

Used 2B Used is playful but not careless, nostalgic but not stuck. It is studio-recorded, synth-forward, and deeply tuned into the band’s ongoing obsession with tape culture, electronic music, odd characters, and unexpected emotional sincerity.