It’s highly uncommon in modern music to find a band that captures the goodness of 80s new wave without it sounding cheesy and outdated. No Monster Club’s latest album, Deadbeat Effervescent, delivers the goods with minimal effort all while providing some quirky lyricism (in the vein of mewithoutYou).

The album begins with “Waterfight!” which is a joyous opener. I believe we can probably all relate to a time in our lives (most likely our youth) when we could just get caught up with our friends in the heat of the summer with water balloons and Super Soakers just passing the day away. It’s nostalgic and fun. This is followed by “Save the Circus” and “Black & White” which both shine with the inclusion of some added instrumentation (some horns on “Save the Circus and what sounds like a steel drum maybe on “Black & White”) that give the album some depth. “Save the Circus” was the lead single for the album, which is an interesting choice in my opinion, but does give a good reflection of what the listener can expect from the rest of the album.

The album fluidly moves in to “Spaceman’s Gold” and “Telly Worldwide.” Both are great tracks, but don’t seem to stand out very much aside from a fun little guitar riff in “Telly Worldwide.” This is followed by “MacGyver” which fully displays the quirky lyricism mentioned previously and also incorporates more of the added instrumentation as well.

We then move in to the album’s second single, “The Trundling Path.” This track has all the goods. Lush instrumentation and arrangement, quirky lyrics and a dash of throwback sound to Dexy’s Midnight Runners (which if you are a fan of 80s new wave or 80s music in general is not a bad thing by any means). This is a highlight of the album in my opinion, but it did take a few listens to reach that status. It is followed by “Ctrl-Alt-Delete” which is the shortest track on the album and although it may be short it is fun and energetic.

By this point in an album things can start to trail off, but for Deadbeat Effervescent this is where the albums best tracks seem to be. Starting with “A Bugle Call” which holds some guitar work reminiscent of 90s shoegaze which fits and blends well with the rest of the album’s aesthetic. We then get to “Case By Case Basis” which is one of the more upbeat tracks on the album and has some of the most memorable lyrics on the album. It also carries a bit of that shoegaze element as well. “Ticker Tape Parade” is an interesting placement as it contrasts it’s preceding track drastically. If this were to be the final track on the album it would be a grand opus for closing it all out. However, we still have “Walk the Plank” which clocks at just under six minutes making it the longest track on the album. Honestly, I feel that this “fits” better before “Ticker Tape Parade,” but doesn’t hold the same contrast from “Case By Case Basis” to “Ticker Tape Parade.” While it may not be the “best” fit to close the album it is still a solid closer that incorporates the lush instrumentation and arrangement we have seen throughout the entire album.

Overall, this is a solid piece of art from start to finish with only a couple of minor flaws (in my opinion). However, said flaws do not hinder the album from being a fun ride that stands out in the modern music scene.

Deadbeat Effervescent is available for streaming on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and Bandcamp or you can purchase a physical copy from multiple retailers depending on your geographical location.

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