Shoegaze by the Numbers

Letting Up Despite Great Faults have been sharpening their dream-pop blade since 2004, when Mike Lee decided to start this humble shoegaze revival band. He would print out and read Ableton tutorials wherever he could in order to record and mix his early LUDGF demos. The result was 2006’s Movement EP on LA’s New Words Records. They got early praise and hype for their shimmering, ethereal sound and even got the nod from Ben Gibbard himself, one of LUDGF’s main influences. They have released two EPs and two full-lengths that have made them a well-known name among the shoegaze-pop niche crowd. Their new album, Neon, released on August 12, 2014, continues to feed our effect-driven electro shoegaze hunger.

LUDGF are an Austin-based band but they sound like a purebred California pop outfit, which makes sense because the creative force behind them, Mike Lee, is an LA native. LUDGF got their name partly from a Blonde Redhead song and also from Lee’s insecurities about his musical skill level. We can clearly see that he has honed and refined his ability to write cohesive and structured textbook pop songs. Neon opens with “Shift,” a mid-tempo song with glowing synths and vocals drenched in effects. It’s so sugary and poppy that you might need an insulin shot after it’s over. “Wrapped” is a song about letting go of a love that is hanging by a thread. Lee sings, “I’m comfortable wrapped in you” and describes his memories as “hazy.” Comfort and hazyness are the perfect words to describe this song, and as an extension, this album.

“Automatic” is a New Order-esque throwback full of bleeps and bloops sprinkled in as garnish. It’s four on the floor, cheery and just what you’d expect in the background of a coming-of-age teen sitcom. It’s not far from the truth, since a couple of their songs have been featured on One Tree Hill and 90210. The ’90s revival continues with “Gold,” an homage to ’90s alt rock with a post-hardcore lead guitar for good measure. It sounds like what you’d be listening to if you were riding your 10-speed bike as fast as you can down a long, winding hill with the wind blowing furiously against your face. It helps that the main riff sounds like something Bloc Party would write.

“Ride” is sure to satisfy anyone’s sweet ear. It’s a triumphant summer anthem. It’s what would be playing through a school’s intercom in the moments before summer break. “Yours” is their more wintery (if we’re focusing on seasons here) track. It’s less of a track and more of a somber segue into “Secrets,” which also seems to end abruptly. The album’s pace picks up with “Legends,” which has a sense of urgent instrumentation. Annah Fisette’s catchy vocals brighten “Bishops,” a darker and more pounding take on LUDGF’s dreamy sound. “Ecru” reminds us that LUDGF is a portal into our mental cave. It has field samples of children playing while washed out synthesizers complement the noise of their frolicking.

Letting Up Despite Great Faults ride the coattails of their shoegaze forefathers and fail to provide a challenging listen. It’s content and comfortable sitting in a sea of unintelligible, introspective vocals and bittersweet themes. The structure, feeling and melancholy are all there, but once you intellectualize the feeling, it seems mundane. If whispery vocals, tales of heartbreak, and anything shoegaze appeal to you, then check out Neon’s ode to pop.