Pleasantly Creative While Relatively Sedate
American Music Club are keen to distance themselves from the label of "emo pioneers" that they earned at some point during their previous 8 albums, with 'Decibels and the Little Pills' there's certainly no sign of anything dark or daunting. The closest the track comes to morbid is a slightly pessimistic refrain, "No one here is going to save you", but it sweeps over a wistful, buoyant guitar melody that instantly feels like the soundtrack to a mellow evening. The sound is soulful, but light and warm in tone, lulling you into a calm state without boring you to sleep.
B-side, 'The John Berchman Victory Choir' is an elegant, swaying tune with a laidback bluesy nuance that marries psychedelic guitar licks with woozy vocals, while, 'On My Way' is a soft tune that finds its light-hearted ruminating obscured by brooding electro lines and fragmented noise that topples into play. It all bodes well for the band's new album, 'The Golden Age' due out in February; at least it will be interesting.