Whether by design or merely happy accident, there’s something in Clay Goodman’s latest offering that taps into the more rewarding, more refined corners of ’80s alternative pop—although a world far removed from the neon-drenched, chart-chasing clichés that retro revisionists would have you believe defined the decade. No, this lands closer to that smart, shimmering pop-rock territory that existed somewhere between the cult cool of Cocteau Twins or House of Love and something heading towards more commercially accessible realms. At least the sort of commercially accessible realms that the more discerning pop-picker would have been found in.
If it’s unintentional, he’s stumbled upon the same golden formula that made that left-field indie-pop scene so special. If it’s intentional, then clearly we share a similar vinyl collection—not to mention an understanding that style doesn’t have to come at the cost of substance.
“Such Fun” is a delicate balancing act—dream-pop delicacy harnessed to a more urgent indie momentum, all while delivering the kind of accessible hooks that remind us pop music once knew how to walk the line between art and appeal. Guitars shimmer and spiral, sometimes tightly wound, sometimes lazily lolling along. The rhythm section keeps things lean and propulsive, while the vocals drift in a haze, in danger of being out of reach but exactly where they need to be.
And yes, while I’ve nodded to the past in tracing its sonic lineage—and those references will sing loudest to those who lived it—it’s not a retro exercise, but “Such Fun” is very much a product of the now, and perhaps even a blueprint for the future. It’s a musical marker, a flag in the ground for anyone still holding out hope that pop…power-pop, indie-pop, dream-pop, pop-rock, call it what you will… can be clever, stylish, and heartfelt all at once. A sonic standard raised, urging others to follow suit.
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