Kate NV and Angel Deradoorian explore the 80s with electro-pop – and end up in the now.
In terms of mood, this is not necessarily the most obvious cooperation. Russian producer Kate NV and Angel Deradoorian, who became known as a member of the Dirty Projectors, have teamed up for Decisive Pink. One prefers to program funny tracks that sound like Lego bricks, the other produces rather melancholy art pop as a soloist.
As irreconcilable as the opposites seem to be, TICKET TO FAME sounds as expected: the mood is rather depressed, but the sounds are mostly gaudy. The duo’s music draws its appeal from this predictable discrepancy, when there’s a hint of 80s synth pop, or German art song, or the ingenious dilettantes standing around in the corner, twitching comically. Malaria should take some responsibility as well, and “Ode To Boy” might be the best song Human League decided not to release.
Yes, the New Wave of the early 1980s is a big topic, so the two present themselves aesthetically with their hair severely slicked back, as if they wanted to apply to Helmut Newton. The fact that TICKET TO FAME doesn’t sound retro at all, but rather extremely contemporary, says more about the times than about Decisive Pink.