Hello Reader,
Welcome back.
Today we’re going to delve into Mr. Fancy Pants. A WV-based band consisting of a lineup that includes Sean Decker, Ryan Sears, and Matt Klempa. The band has released one album and one EP: Let’s Pants (2017), and Doppelgänger EP (2022). After listening to Let’s Pants, I recommend it to you, and would give it a 4 Scum Drop rating relative to 2017 releases. And the three-song effort Doppelgänger EP is another step forward for the band, getting 4.5 Scum Drops relative to all EP releases in 2022. All three songs are excellent and worth 10 minutes of your time to listen to.
And you may have missed it, but their second full-length album, a 10-song effort, Doppelgängers was self-released on Friday April 5th for your listening pleasure.
Giving credit where it’s due. Doppelgängers album credits:
- Sean Decker: guitars, vocals, additional percussion
- Ryan Sears: bass, backing vocals, additional percussion
- Matt Klempa: drums, backing vocals, percussion
- David Klug: backing vocals, additional percussion
- The Great Pantaloony Choir are Bethany Decker, Gideon Decker, Greta Decker, Mindy Sears, Ike Sears, Desi Sears, Josh Bommer, Clint Sutton, Kelly Strautman, Serena Sutton, Winnie Sutton, Jocelyn Carlson, Hazel Iafrate, CeCe Iafrate, Izzi Iafrate, Mario Muscar, Flannery Muscar, Nico Muscar, Brian Whorton, Leslie Decker Carothers, Owen Carothers, Zoe Bucella: additional vocals on “We’ll Be There”
- Recorded, Mixed, and Mastered by David Klug at David Klug Studio in Pittsburgh, PA.
- Produced by Mr. Fancy Pants and David Klug
- Additional Recording for “We’ll Be There” by Wes Ebeling at TSG Studio
- Cover Art by Mindy Sears
- Cover Design by David Klug
And now some hype for your ears!
Lead vocalist of the band, Sean Decker talked with us a month ago, providing his own artist essay that serves as a teaser, sharing some insight into the album. You can read that here. And after listening to the album in its entirety a few times, below is my own review.
Overall, Doppelgängers is a very good album. I’d say another step forward for the band from their previous two works. If one was narrow-minded and had tunnel vision, they might dismiss the band because of its name and consider it a comedic trope and not listen to them. Don’t be that foolish. Ever. Decker’s songwriting has taken a step forward again, as his lyrics have improved on this album. The rhyme scheme, references and choices he made work so well. The lyrics explore various perspectives from past and present day often, with a variety of feelings, moods and tones from anxious to confident, from frustrated to more content among many others. The band does an excellent job mixing melodies with sounds of the past with present day melodies and modern lyrics. The result are some great earworms only they could create with beats you can’t easily predict. I love that creativity and musicianship. The band self-released this album but don’t let that hinder your opinion on how good the sonic quality could be. Klug, Ebeling and the band made this mix sound great!
The first song, “Come Back” starts the album off with a guitar and drum forward modern indie rock melody. Decker’s vocals are well balanced within and easily heard atop the melody. The lyrics are told from a perspective of waiting and anticipation with some disgust, telling a series of events of what they expected to happen in the future.
“Trigger My Style” quickens the melodic pace, still within the indie rock framework but with more aggression than the previous song. It’s a change that pairs perfectly with the disdainful lyrics. It’s a song about Decker’s frustration with the powerful, the “havers of everything” in society sung with provoked, passionate vocals.
“Doppelgänger” is a reflective, introspective song. There’s a lot of anxiety and doubt within the lyrics. The melody of drum and multiple guitars remind me of one you’d hear in 90s music but remain Mr. Fancy Pants’ creation. The melody is fairly upbeat, not too heavy which allow the refrains to create some earworms. The result is my favorite song so far on the album.
“Cuck” slows down the melody. The melody again could fit in a song from the past, this time a power pop genre tune. There are some solid guitar solos within this song. The lyrics as the title might suggest to you especially if you’re of a certain age range, involve spending time on the internet in the modern era examining how one often can and does feel while online and after.
The next song, “Out in the Water” kicks off on a more positive note. The melody charges forward with guitars and drums. The bass guitar in particular creates a path for Decker’s vocals and the harmonies to shine. The restless lyrics make a great use of refrains and rhyme scheme to hammer the point home. Kudos to Decker and the rest of the band for the accomplishing the end result and creating an earworm or two here.
“Gold Parade” opens on a quick drum and guitar beat that reminds me of mid to late 70s and 80s melodies. As you listen, tell me what you hear yourself. Maybe some power pop with some synth sounding influences? Again, the melody remains the bands own. The resulting sound is a beautiful mix, that is haunting for stretches but always jangly. The lyrics are steadfast and told from a weary and tired perspective. Decker’s vocals in this song are more softly spoken than his deliveries in previous songs, but they pair with the melody well, allowing both to stand work perfectly.
The next song, “Warm” showcases Decker’s lyrics with a series of literary references, historical events and people and also allegories putting himself in place of all of the above. The lyrics explore with a resilient and resolute tone. The song kicks off with some fantastic guitar work followed by another old school melody that again could fit in the past, from say ’75 to ’99 depending on which point of the song. If you like to categorize by genre, the most pronounced elements fall into power pop and alternative. But as always, listen for yourself and see what you hear.
“Give it Up” kicks off with rock forward guitars and a steady drumbeat. Impassioned vocals deliver the refrains. The lyrics are told from a point of disbelief and frustration. And all three once again, combine so well together.
“Slowly’s How We Go” features a lovely bass line, and some great guitar and drum work. There are elements of melodies of the past, once again. Which mesh perfectly when combined with lyrics that are reflective of age, the past, the near and also distant future. The vocals and harmonies fit like a glove and enhance the mood. The result is a gem. One of my favorite songs on the album.
“We’ll Be There” enlists the most vocalists on any song on the album. The result is great, choral sound. The melody is a sweet rocker driven by softer drums and a nice guitar chord progression. The lyrics suggest a group effort, that we’re in this together while also adding personal touch from Decker to his closest relationships.
Doppelgängers gets 4 out of 5 Scum Drops from me. It is a very good album. There are some really fantastic songs on it. For me, this album falls a few percent above Let’s Dance but is still in the 4 Scum Drops range. As noted above in the review, Decker and the band make great use of composition, combining elements of different decades in their melodies creating their own unique sound. Kudos to all involved. I would recommend adding this one to your collection, either digitally or getting a physical copy.
Doppelgängers Track listing (song length)
- Come Back (2:51)
- Trigger My Style (4:04)
- Doppelgänger (3:04)
- Cuck (4:15)
- Out in the Water (4:14)
- Gold Parade (3:17)
- Warm (3:24)
- Give it Up (3:19)
- Slowly’s How We Go (3:40)
- We’ll Be There (4:13)
Total runtime: 37:29
I’ll always advocate that you take the time to listen to every album in its entirety from start to finish. Doing so with this album would take a little more than one hour if you listened to it twice. Along the way, you’ll discover your own favorite songs without the influence or bias of others. After a few listens on my own, the songs that are highlighted in green font above are my favorite songs on this album.
Their Bandcamp page is the best place to start for discovering more of Mr. Fancy Pants music. The band’s Instagram page is a great place to find their tour info and even more content. And their Facebook page is another way to find out more.
Thank you for reading and supporting good music.
Until next time,
Alex
Scummy Water Tower Productions co-founder, reviewer, business manager, and editor. Thank you for visiting this site, scummywatertower.com, and YouTube for Water Tower Sessions and SWT Interviews. And all of our socials.
Questions, feedback, or more? Contact me: alex@scummywatertower.com
