Following releases across two decades that navigated
Beatlesque psychedelic pop, electro-funk, synth-boosted glam, folk-rock, and punk -- for an incomplete overview --
Of Montreal architect
Kevin Barnes settled into a club-friendly fusion of dance-rock and electro-pop beginning with the eclectic
Innocence Reaches in 2016. 2018's
White Is Relic/Irrealis Mood took direct inspiration from the extended remixes of pop hits that were prevalent in the 1980s, and two years later,
Ur Fun narrows in on catchier, singles-minded fare. A set that doesn't break for ballads, it was, as has become typical for
Barnes, inspired by his personal life, which settled into a steady relationship following divorce. In fact, his partner, Christina Schneider (aka Locate S,1), is the only other person to appear here, lending backing vocals to an album otherwise entirely performed and recorded by
Barnes in his Athens, Georgia home studio. That doesn't mean that lyrics will be starry-eyed, however; the loquacious lyricist still draws on politics, society, and reflection as well as relationships for
Ur Fun, which opens with the bubbly "Peace to All Freaks." In tune with the red neon and geometric pastels of the album's artwork, the song's sleek '80s-style synthesizer pop offers the encouraging words "Don't let's be negative/Don't let's be cruel/I don't think that I can do it for myself/But I can do it for us." He revisits the bleepier side of the '80s on tracks like "You've Had Me Everywhere" and the new wavy "St. Sebastian" but takes a grittier turn on the guitar-driven "Get God's Attention by Being an Atheist" and "Don't Let Me Die in America," a fast-paced highlight that has
Barnes snarling "I don't even wanna haunt this place." The ten tracks wrap up with the punk rager "20th Century Schizofriendic Revengoid-man," which features some of the meandering chord progressions familiar to long-time fans of
Of Montreal, though not enough to steer listeners out of the mosh pit. That song also offers up the memorable dark anthem "I can't go to work today 'cause I've forgotten how to human." Taken together, infectious rhythms, smart lyrics, and effervescent chorus hooks that deliver throughout
Ur Fun make it more than a mere amusement. ~ Marcy Donelson