Sean Guerin and Isaac Franco, the Los Angeles-based musicians behind indie neo-disco act
De Lux, write, play, and produce all their material. Despite their young age, they do so with an impressive level of skill. Because of their young age, they do so while sounding like the product of their inspirations. On their debut album, they're seemingly inspired by a fair portion of the DFA label roster, such as
LCD Soundsystem,
the Rapture, and
Holy Ghost!, which means they've also absorbed some earlier bands of the post-punk and new wave era that embraced and mutated disco. They've got the high and nasally vocals, the wriggling rhythm guitars, the basslines that range from stiff disco-funk to quasi-Hi-NRG, and even a little cowbell. Lyrically, they articulate wry observations with the occasional slip into combative derision.
Guerin and Franco nail the sound with stimulating results on album opener "Better at Making Time," a clear standout that previously appeared on an EP for Scion AV, while "It All Works All the Time" charmingly throws
Orange Juice into the mix. Plenty of bands have taken an album or two to make a mark of their own. This one has too much going for it to not do the same. ~ Andy Kellman