People like to comment on how trends repeat in the music industry. One trend is the re-emergence of artists that have a distinctly ‘80s sound in their music. Whether that be synths or dance grooves, many bands have found the music of the Talking Heads or Television to be fertile grounds for influence. This impact is noticeable in “More Disco Songs About Love” the new album from indie rock band De Lux.
A major feature of this album is its infectious grooves. As if the flu was on the dance floor, there are countless reasons to dance with this album.Initial rising sounds of percussion on the first track, “875 Dollars,” lead into a transitional clap. Then a deep synth groove kicks in, by which point you’ve probably begun dancing. But one cannot simply dance away their responsibilities. The lyrics of this track reflect how much fun one can have while still having real world worries. Lead singer Sean Guerin sings, “‘Cause all I want is a party / But they’re not that kind of party you’re thinking of / And all I want are a couple close friends / That can come together and help pay the rent”.
These lines reflect the very trouble of trying to have fun while not being able to get away from our responsibilities.
The dance and post-punk influence does not really dip throughout the album, maintaining an upbeat, fast-paced sound to the end. Another track of note is track seven, “Music Snob,” which sounds as wonderfully ‘80s as the rest of the tracks. The percussion sounds are reminiscent of “Sound of Silver”-era LCD Soundsystem as well. The lyrics describe what the title implies, a music snob, whose girlfriend humorously struggles with his music tastes, saying: “How do I know what you like/ When you seem to like just about everything?” It’s a funny and relatable track for anyone who knows music, or is possibly a pretentious music listener.
Later tracks like track nine, “Stratosphere Girl,” showcase one of the exciting features of the album with Mark Stewart of the acclaimed post-punk group of the ‘80s, The Pop Group. The inclusion of features by famed artists demonstrates the connection of De Lux to their influences seemingly declaring who they look up to in their very songs. Though the feature is exciting, the song is a somewhat low point on the album, lacking the particular dance fun of the rest of the album. Instead, the song allows more for Stewart to speak-sing over an uninteresting groove compared to the rest of the album.
With this description, it can seem obvious that the members of De Lux have been active and impressionable listeners to the music that has come before them. That is both good and bad at the same time. Using a successful template offers the sureness of enjoyable music seen in most of the album. On the other hand, one could say that they don’t do as much to separate themselves from these artists, sounding less like their own distinct act. This rings somewhat true but shouldn’t be noticed too much. This album is a quite fun experience even if it sounds like something you may have heard before.
