Los Angeles duo Touché taps into the brighter side of '80s synth pop on their debut full-length
It's Fate, revising the best parts of the genre and sneaking in more modern touches when no one's looking. At first blush, a track like the infectious "I'm a Man Not a Machine" is little more than a religiously crafted tribute to the time when
the Human League and
Siouxsie & the Banshees were at their peak, but the song's summery bass groove and sharp melodic turns cast off the darkness and support hooks more original and pervasive than they first seemed. Alex Lilly's vocal twists are an enormous part of what makes
It's Fate so memorable. As dour synths and fuzzy guitars set up a fluttering instrumental backdrop for "Everything He Wants," Lilly's multi-tracked vocals move between syncopated syllables, cold vocoded lines, puzzling pseudo-rap, and most interestingly, a softly spooky counter-melody reminiscent of
Stereolab or
Broadcast. Unexpected stylistic mash-ups like this are a strong suit of
It's Fate, and pop up more often than not. Tightly wound grooves like "Lock and Key" and "Shhh!! It's Quiet Time" owe as much to the faux-house of
the Pet Shop Boys as they do the cannon of artsy mid-'90s indie rock and their chilly melodic sensibilities. Some of Touché's curveballs end up more jarring than captivating, but for the most part,
It's Fate is more crisp than sterile, more interesting than bizarre. Even when the tones of the album move toward dark affectation, there's always enough attention paid to its funky undercurrents to keep things fun and light. ~ Fred Thomas