Beginning with a string of piano notes pushing off into the sky, Art Decade’s "Infant Joy" swings back and forth, the legs of the bass and drums pumping piano chords dressed up in shiny patent leather Mary Janes and white frilled ankle socks. Scattered guitar lines sway and dip. Steadily rising on a gust of air, the vocals catch flight on the wind of the melody. Strong beats push the swing higher and higher in its curving pendulum path, finally peaking with an impossibly high note by lead singer Ben Talmi, suddenly alone with nothing but air below him.
This Boston-based band’s second record, Royalty, solidifies their upbeat and hard-rocking theatrical sound, matching the visual intensity of the album cover’s rows of strange, neon blue mannequin busts accented by purplish pinks and oranges. The artwork pops just as the sounds of Art Decade explode out of the speakers. Vocals are pelted into the distance alongside fiery electric guitar and pounding drums as if shot out of a double-barreled rifle.
The title track off Royalty opens with a moment of turbulence, followed by a series of wavering, wandering “Oos” and punchy “Hey-hey-heys”. Then, switching course on a whim, the band quickens into a steady pace as weighty drums pair with the vocals and steely guitars weave up and down the swing’s interlocking metal chains.
