The Secret Handshake is Luis Dubuc, a a young dude from Texas who really wants emo kids to party. He makes simple elctronic music and layers it with his own autotuned vocals (T-Pain holla!) and emo lyrics, making him, along with such bands as Owl City and Playradioplay!, one of the pioneers of "emotronica," a genre whose name describes it perfectly: a calming mix of emo and electronica. Nearly always emotronica is made by guys in their basements, and it's unlikely that the tunes will reach the level of true electronica like Justice or Chromeo.
However, on his track "Lately," Luis does just that. Take a Chromeo or Justice track, pour on a big helping of emo, and you have this gem. Most of the songs on Luis' debut One Full Year are slow, introverted tracks that make you want to cry at how pathetic Luis's life is rather than make you dance, but "Lately" is a disco diamond in a coal mine. Sure, the lyrics will probably make you look down at your feet, but you'll notice they're tapping to a pretty hefty beat. The song starts out simple, with just a beat and some sparkly sound effects, but moves into a synthetic bass-fueled disco track, complete with synthetic violins and handclaps. Luis keep it interesting and the 5 minutes speed by, despite his constant repeating of the same depressing lyric. About two-thirds of the way through, Luis comes in with a distorted guitar solo and even more musical layering, and you would swear you were listening to Chromeo if it weren't for Luis's melancholy yet passioned vocals. The beat keeps up till the very end, and you're left wondering why time flies so much when you listen to this song (Hint: it has to do with you having fun).
"Lately" is by no means a club-fresh track. Rather, it brings to mind the industrial, one-story landscape of a Dallas outskirt instead of the skyscrapers of downtown Boston. I'm hesitant to call this song "The Soundtrack to a Night at the Bowling Alley," but with its 70s-inspired disco leanings and moody lyrics, a calm night with your second-best friend at the alley will sound golden.
RIYL Chromeo, Playradioplay!, Owl City, Justice
Track:
For Comparison:
Chromeo - "Fancy Footwork" (not my link)
The Secret Handshake:
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