Woodsist

Despite titling his latest release III: Arcade Dynamics, Matthew Mondanile’s third proper Ducktails album relies less on VHS-washed nostalgia than its predecessors, coming as close as he yet has to articulated songs. The result resembles pop, especially the ultra-melodic “Don’t Make Plans” and “Killin’ The Vibe,” but it’s only a decoy. While “Vibe” – an obvious mix cut – pleasingly recalls a low-key Vampire Weekend as much as Mondanile’s main gig with Real Estate, there’s not much there as far as the song goes: one verse, repeated seven times, and faded. Arcade Dynamics takes this advice throughout and is better for maintaining vibe than providing penetrating songwriting. Oddly devoid of the Boards of Canada-at-the-beach anarchy of his earlier releases, Mondanile’s drum machine sunsets and shoreline-lapping synths still travel to a beach few others know about.