Someone2Dance / Cheap Words 7" - Single

When Bart Davenport handed in the basic tracks (rhythm guitar and vocals) for this seven-inch single, he didn’t know it would come out sounding so saturated in early-'80s power pop. Davenport had decided to eschew his hands-on approach to self-production, instead entrusting former roommate and sometimes music collaborator Sam Flax Keener to layer lead guitar, bass, and drums over the songs’ skeletons. Keener also mixed in chorus handclaps and plenty of Dwight Twilley–sounding vocal delay. “Someone2Dance” is timeless guitar pop that plays like a prominent branch from the same family tree that yielded bands like The Records, Shoes, Flamin’ Groovies, and The Plimsouls. Yet the fuzzy, distorted sonic freakouts in the solo keep the tune from succumbing to complete retrospection. The b-side, “Cheap Words,” has a similar feel, from the heavily delayed bass to the prominent analog hiss in the empty space. Slower-paced than the a-side, this mix flirts with bits of new romanticism, though the guitars and vocals still beg for striped t-shirts and skinny-lapelled suit jackets.