Over the course of two EPs and a handful of singles, bedroom pop crooner
Gus Dapperton
turned in a wobbly hybrid of synth-heavy indie and nostalgia-drenched soulful pop. A gifted singer,
Dapperton
's voice wrapped expressively around hooks as his instrumentals sounded meticulously produced to sound cheap and lo-fi, with detuned Casio synths and vintage drum machines dialed into late-'80s radio R&B settings. With debut full-length effort
Where Polly People Go to Read
,
comes through with some of his more undeniably catchy tracks. Chorus-heavy acoustic guitars and lilting sophisti-pop vocals glide in on "My Favorite Fish," a tune collaging together
Frank Ocean
's insular vocal fragility and the neon synth arrangements of
Mac DeMarco
or
Tame Impala
. It's a dynamic and hooky song, with an arrangement that stacks its various sticky elements as it builds. A similar approach makes "Fill Up Anthem" immediately captivating.
's love of nostalgic lite funk shows up in the song's restrained bass groove and static drum machine programming. Only the occasional growled lyric and a dramatically warped synth sound on the chorus take the song out of complete inoffensive background music status, adding some uneasiness to the mix. The would-be new jack swing rhythm of "World Class Cinema" is another standout, melding all the best elements of his formula for a tightly arranged and slowly building pop construction. ~ Fred Thomas