Devon Geyer, the songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist behind
Decorations, has described his music as "new wave without all the sadness." And there's no arguing that Geyer has a way with words as well as tunes. Most of the songs on
Decorations' first full-length, 2016's
Have Fun, have just the right amount of angles and gloss to suggest they came from another decade. One can imagine most of
Have Fun bleeding out of the Walkman of some too-cool-for-school skinny-tie dude in 1982, especially the infectious opening track, "Girls," and the jangly "At Your Leisure." Geyer played and sang everything on
Have Fun outside of drums and some backing vocals, and the craft of this album is unassailable. If the production lacks a bit of the analog punch of the late-'70s/early-'80s pop that clearly inspired him, the arrangements and melodies are dead on the money, and the balance between the rock guitars and the period synthesizers is just about right. But as for this being new wave without the sadness,
Have Fun certainly sounds bummed out and/or bitter much of the time, as Geyer obsesses on relationships that have either fallen apart or are headed in that direction. If America's hipper youth are still looking for sleek pop music to accompany their adventures,
Have Fun should give them what they need. ~ Mark Deming