Cerulean-blue pools glistening. Jetsetters lying stylishly in repose. Palm trees fluttering at dusk. These are the images evoked by the alt-“nu-wop” sound of Midnight to Monaco—music that’s at once vintage butfuturistic, sunny butconflicted, singular butintricate.It starts with theiraptly named track“One in a Million,” where shimmering soundscapes and aching vocals give way to an otherworldly hook. (This dystopian love song has already been vaultedto Apple Music’s“The A-List: Indie” playlist.) Their illustrative,original artwork lends further intrigue. Created by pulp-legend Robert McGinnis (the man behind over 1,200 paperback book covers and over 40 iconic movie posters, including Diamonds Are Forever,BarbarellaandBreakfast at Tiffany’s)--it places two men inSixties-era mise-en-scènes with ominous edges.Midnight to Monaco are, in fact,vocalist Ricky Ducati and producer Donnie Sloan, both endeavoringtodesign an escapist soundtrack that expands on what pop music can be.“The first thing is to make the best songs we can,” explains Donnieof their aesthetic. “But the visuals—gettinga full experience out of it—is also important to us.”Donniehadbeenwriting and producingsongsin Australia,such as Empire of the Sun’splatinum-selling “Walking on aDream,”when a friend suggested he forge his own project. Fate brought him to theCanadian-musicianRicky:Afan of Donnie’swork, he introduced himself on a whim through social media. Donniewas immediately taken byRicky’s elastic voice, which filled the space between melodic pop and darkwave. They bonded over the determinationtocreatea wholly unique sound. For instance, “‘One in a Million’ started out as a piano ballad,” Ricky says.“It was just too slow. But we never gave up. We knew we had something.” As a guiding principle, the duo, who share songwriting duties, lean heavily on instincts. “Ricky sang it a cappella,” says Donnie. “I sped it up and built emotional chords around the melody.”Realizing their songs could lead with vocals instead of instruments,says Donnie, “was a lightning-bolt moment.” This technique, sourcingdoo-wop, isthe thread that runs through their work.One of the very first songs they penned together,“One Way Ticket,” perkedthe ears of their label, Island Records. The free-spirited cut, with its radiant vocals,offers a wistful snapshot of journeying through California, where they recorded the bulk of their tracks. Explains Donnie, “We are really into the romance of travel.” This will soonmanifest itself in a tour. Initially, Ricky and Donniewill be joined by just a drummer, but they already have designs on building a fullersound. “When we do bigger shows,” says Donnie,“we want to have four or five doo-wop guys singing as well.” Midnight to Monaco has already played a few liveshows in advance of dropping their upcoming EP. Tellingly, theytook place neither at midnight nor in chic locales. “We wanted to get our sea legs,” explains Rickyof their intentionally challenging gigsata bro-filled dive bar and poolside at a nondescript hotel.Bystanderswere pleasantly surprised. And that’s the plan: Theseare methodical artists who’ll stick to the path less traveled, even if that means taking over the pop charts one ear at a time. “The most important thing for us,” Donniesays, “will always be to do something different.”