''Decadence'' is the debut studio album of American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band

Head Automatica Head Automatica is an American rock band from Brooklyn, New York fronted by Glassjaw frontman Daryl Palumbo. History Formation, ''Decadance'' and ''Popaganda'' (2003–2006) The beginnings of the band stemmed from singer Daryl Palumbo' ...

that was released on August 17, 2004, through

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...

. Vocalist

Daryl Palumbo Daryl Palumbo (born February 10, 1979) is an American musician, originally from Bellmore, New York. He is the frontman of the bands Glassjaw, Head Automatica and Color Film. As a youth he was a member of the Long Island straight edge band ''Xbust ...

toured as a member of

Glassjaw Glassjaw is an American post-hardcore band from Hempstead, New York. It was formed in 1993 by vocalist Daryl Palumbo and guitarist Justin Beck. The band is known for their intense live shows, as well as their frequent line-up changes. Despite ...

until early 2003, when he wrote material for a new band. Shortly afterwards, he formed Head Automatica with drummer Larry Gorman and producer Dan "Dan the Automator" Nakamura. Recording sessions for their debut were held in September and October 2003 at The Glue Factory in San Francisco, California, with Nakamura producing the majority of the songs and

Howard Benson Howard Michael Benson (born July 20, 1956) is an American record producer from Havertown, Pennsylvania. He has been nominated for two Grammy Awards for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical in 2007 and 2008, among two wins and 16 total nominati ...

producing two of them. ''Decadence'' is a

dance-rock Dance-rock is a dance- infused genre of rock music. It is a post-disco genre connected with pop rock and post-punk with fewer rhythm and blues influences. It originated in the early 1980s, following the decline in popularity of both punk and dis ...

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock music that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The style is ...

, and

electronic rock Electronic rock (also known as electro rock and synth rock) is a music genre that involves a combination of rock music and electronic music, featuring instruments typically found within both genres. It originates from the late 1960s when rock b ...

album that was influenced by the works of Joe Jackson,

Nick Lowe Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in Pub rock (United Kingdom), pub rock, power pop and New wave music, new wave,Primal Scream Primal Scream are a Scottish rock music, rock band originally formed in 1982 in Glasgow by Bobby Gillespie (vocals) and Jim Beattie (musician), Jim Beattie (guitar). The band's current lineup consists of Gillespie, Andrew Innes (guitar), Simon ...

. ''Decadence'' received mixed reviews from critics, some of whom complimented the songwriting while others said fewer than half of the songs were of good quality. The album peaked at number 125 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

. Before the album's release, Head Automatica toured the United States with

Thursday Thursday is the day of the week between Wednesday and Friday. According to the ISO 8601 international standard, it is the fourth day of the week. In countries which adopt the "Sunday-first" convention, it is the fifth day of the week. Name Th ...

, appeared on the

Honda Civic Tour The Honda Civic Tour is an annual concert tour, sponsored by American Honda Motor Company. 2001 First half *Headliner: Blink-182 *Supporting: No Motiv, Sum 41, The Ataris, and Bodyjar Second half *Headliner: Everclear *Supporting: Ameri ...

, and traveled with the

Curiosa Festival The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley in 1976 by Robert Smith (vocals, guitar) and Lol Tolhurst (drums). The band's current line-up comprises Smith, Perry Bamonte (guitar and keyboards), Reeves Gabrels (guitar), Simon Gallup (b ...

. The band then promoted the album with a US West Coast tour and supported

the Used The Used is an American rock band from Orem, Utah, formed in 2000. The group consists of vocalist Bert McCracken, bassist Jeph Howard, drummer Dan Whitesides, and guitarist Joey Bradford. Former members include Quinn Allman, Branden Steinec ...

on their US tour. Palumbo became ill with

Crohn's disease Crohn's disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that may affect any segment of the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms often include abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, abdominal distension, and weight loss. Complications outside of the ...

, leading the cancellation of tours from late 2004 to mid-2005. "Beating Heart Baby" was released as the album's

lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...

in January 2005.

Background and development

Since 1993, vocalist

has been a member of

, who released two albums; '' Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence'' (2000) and '' Worship and Tribute'' (2002). Promotion for ''Worship and Tribute'' continued into 2003, when Glassjaw embarked on the

SnoCore Tour The SnoCore Tour, occasionally typeset as Sno-Core, was an annual festival tour of the United States. It featured performances by some of the most popular groups largely of the alternative rock and metal spectrum. The event took place every year ...

in February and March. Around this time,

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

reported Palumbo and

the Movielife The Movielife is a Long Island punk rock band composed of vocalist Vinnie Caruana, guitarist Brandon Reilly, and drummer Brett Romnes. The band originally formed in 1997 and disbanded in 2003, but announced their official reunion in December 20 ...

frontman

Vinnie Caruana Vinnie Caruana (born September 25, 1979) is an American singer. He is the vocalist for Long Island punk band The Movielife and lead singer/songwriter for the indie/post hardcore band I Am the Avalanche.

had written several songs together for a band referred to as H.A. Some live performances with Glassjaw were halted when Palumbo had a relapse of

in April 2003, resulting in the cancellation of a tour of the United Kingdom. Palumbo formed Head Automatica with fellow Glassjaw drummer Larry Gorman, who was interested in Palumbo's desire to make different music. Palumbo met producer Dan "Dan the Automator" Nakamura through some friends, who then joined the band. The new act allowed Palumbo to work on material that was "dark and futuristic, with a blend of garage and

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

", which did not fit the sound of Glassjaw. Dan the Automator had worked with

Eels Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order (biology), order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 20 Family (biology), families, 164 genus, genera, and about 1000 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the earl ...

and

Primal Scream Primal Scream are a Scottish rock music, rock band originally formed in 1982 in Glasgow by Bobby Gillespie (vocals) and Jim Beattie (musician), Jim Beattie (guitar). The band's current lineup consists of Gillespie, Andrew Innes (guitar), Simon ...

, and had earlier been a member of

Handsome Boy Modeling School Handsome Boy Modeling School is an American collaborative project between hip hop producers Dan the Automator (Gorillaz, Dr. Octagon, Deltron 3030) and Prince Paul ( Stetsasonic, De La Soul, Gravediggaz). The collaboration originally lasted ...

. Between June and August 2003, Glassjaw appeared on the

Warped Tour The Warped Tour is a Concert tour, touring Rock music, rock music festival that toured the United States and Canada each summer from 1995 until 2019, and returned in 2025 for its 30th anniversary. By 2015, Warped was the largest traveling music ...

and played their final show prior to a hiatus. By this point, 19 songs had been recorded for Head Automatica.

Recording

Recording sessions for ''Decadence'' occurred between September and October 2003; during this time, Dan the Automator had been working on second albums for Handsome Boy Modeling School and

Gorillaz Gorillaz are an English virtual band created by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett in London, England in 1998. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (gui ...

. Dan the Automator produced almost every track, except for "Beating Heart Baby" and "The Razor". The Automator-produced songs were recorded at The Glue Factory in San Francisco, California. Mike Plotnikoff acted as engineer for "Beating Heart Baby", "The Razor", and "Dance Party Plus"; Benson and Craig Aaronson did additional production on "Dance Party Plus". Palumbo had some heavy-sounding songs spare; he recorded "Beating Heart Baby" and "The Razor" with producer

, who was known for his work with

Cold Cold is the presence of low temperature, especially in the atmosphere. In common usage, cold is often a subjectivity, subjective perception. A lower bound to temperature is absolute zero, defined as 0.00K on the Kelvin scale, an absolute t ...

and

P.O.D. P.O.D. (an initialism for Payable on Death) is an American nu metal band formed in 1992 and based in San Diego, California. The band's line-up consists of vocalist Paul Joshua "Sonny" Sandoval, bassist Mark "Traa" Daniels, lead guitarist Mar ...

, two months later. Mixing was split between four people:

Dave Sardy David Stuart Sardy (born 1967), more commonly known as D. Sardy, is an American composer, musician, songwriter, and multiple Grammy winning record producer. He came to prominence as the leader of 1990s noise rock band Barkmarket before turning ...

mixed "At the Speed of a Yellow Bullet", "Brooklyn Is Burning", "King Caesar", "Disco Hades II", "Solid Gold Telephone", and "I Shot William H. Macy"; Benson mixed "Beating Heart Baby", "The Razor", and "Dance Party Plus";

Rich Costey Richard Costey is an American music producer, mixer, and engineer. He has worked with musicians across genres including rock, indie, pop, hip-hop, and electronica. Notable collaborators include Fiona Apple, Vampire Weekend, Foo Fighters, Sig ...

mixed "Please Please Please (Young Hollywood)"; and Automator mixed "Head Automatica Soundsystem". In a 2006 interview, Palumbo said Dan the Automator "didn't do too much" on the album, saying they bought some beats from him and he did some engineering across the release. Palumbo called Automator "limiting" and said; "I don't want to limit what I can do to what he's capable of ... I don't want to work with someone who doesn't understand me".

Composition and lyrics

The sound of ''Decadence'' has been described as

, and

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

reviewer Johnny Loftus wrote the album's sound blends elements of "furiously ''en vogue''

dance-punk Dance-punk (also known as disco-punk) is a post-punk subgenre that emerged in the late 1970s, and is closely associated with the disco, post-disco and new wave movements.Rip It Up and Start Again: Post Punk 1978-1984. Simon Reynolds.Faber an ...

, assemblist modern rock, and bits and pieces of the

Def Jux Definitive Jux was a record label based in New York City. It was co-founded in 1999 by El-P and Amaechi Uzoigwe. History Definitive Jux was initially known as Def Jux. However, popular hip hop label Def Jam Recordings sued Def Jux over the name ...

crew's underground aesthetic". '' Drowned in Sound'' writer Michael Diver said the album's best comparison is to ''

Diamonds and Pearls ''Diamonds and Pearls'' is the thirteenth studio album by American recording artist Prince, and the first with his backing band The New Power Generation. It was released on October 1, 1991, by Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. Records. T ...

'' (1991) by

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

; according to Diver, "The low-slung funk and sleaze-pop that permeates this album would sit pretty with the Purple one". Palumbo cited the works of Joe Jackson,

, and Squeeze as inspiration for the album. He said it has a "serious 1978 stamp on it" and that more than half of his music collection consisted of albums from the period 1978 to 1981. Dan the Automator said the band wanted to continue the sound

Big Audio Dynamite Big Audio Dynamite (later known as Big Audio Dynamite II and Big Audio, and often abbreviated BAD) were an English band, formed in London in 1984 by Mick Jones (The Clash guitarist), Mick Jones, former lead guitarist and co-lead vocalist of th ...

might have made "if they were coming out today, or some of the Clash, but more, like, with the combination of the hard drums, hard guitars and the electronic elements". Palumbo chose the album's title as a reference to self-indulgence and the glamor he had avoided up to that point in his career; he said, "A decadent lifestyle feels good" but it can take a "toll on you, but it's nice sometimes to have everything feel flashy and larger than life". Palumbo said he had written around 60% of the album beforehand but Dan the Automator is listed as a co-writer on the songs "At the Speed of a Yellow Bullet", "Brooklyn Is Burning", "Please Please Please (Young Hollywood)", "King Caesar", "Disco Hades II", and "Head Automatica Soundsystem". Palumbo said he had gotten "some beats and some production from Automator. I needed to have him fill in that gap by putting a lot of faith in his beats". Palumbo co-wrote "Beating Heart Baby" with guitarist Craig Bonich; and "Dance Party Plus" with

Tim Armstrong Timothy Ross Armstrong (born November 25, 1965) is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. Known for his distinctive voice, he is the singer/guitarist for the punk rock band Rancid (band), Rancid and hip hop/punk rock supergroup T ...

from Rancid and Dave Rhodes. Palumbo solely wrote "The Razor", "Solid Gold Telephone", and "I Shot William H. Macy". Dan the Automator programmed for every track except "Beating Heart Baby" and "The Razor". Armstrong contributed additional vocals to "Dance Party Plus". The album's opening song "At the Speed of a Yellow Bullet" includes a line from " Trouble Every Day" (1966) by

the Mothers of Invention The Mothers of Invention (also known as the Mothers) were an American rock music, rock band from California. Formed in 1964, their work is marked by the use of sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Originally an ...

. Loftus said "Brooklyn Is Burning" "cuts bumpy dollar store disco" against a "crackling sample" in the vein of "

Da Ya Think I'm Sexy? "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?", also written "Da' Ya' Think I'm Sexy", is a song by British singer Rod Stewart from his ninth studio album, ''Blondes Have More Fun'' (1978). It was written by Stewart, Carmine Appice, and Duane Hitchings, though it inc ...

" (1978) by

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British singer and songwriter. Known for his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists of all time, having sold ...

. ''

The Boston Phoenix ''The Phoenix'' (stylized as ''The Phœnix'') was the name of several alternative weekly periodicals published in the United States by Phoenix Media/Communications Group of Boston, Massachusetts, including the now defunct ''Boston Phoenix'', '' ...

'' writer Jeff Miller said "Beating Heart Baby" sounds like "

At the Drive-In At the Drive-In was an American post-hardcore band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 1994. The band's most recent line-up consisted of Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals), Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, vocals), Paul Hinojos (bass), Tony Hajjar (drums ...

" "pumped through a postmodern-disco sound system". It starts akin to the sound of

The Sweet Sweet (known as the Sweet until the early 1970s) are a British glam rock band who rose to prominence in the 1970s. Their best-known line-up consisted of lead vocalist Brian Connolly, bassist Steve Priest, guitarist Andy Scott and drummer ...

before shifting into The Good Life territory. "Please Please Please (Young Hollywood)" recalls the work of

Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English pop rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. After several early changes, the band's line-up settled ...

and with its lyrics, which compare living in Hollywood to living a life of lust, Palumbo evokes

Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN (stylized as NIИ), is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1988. Its members are the singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Trent Reznor and his frequent col ...

' frontman

Trent Reznor Michael Trent Reznor (born May 17, 1965) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and composer. He came to prominence as the founder, lead singer, multi-instrumentalist, and primary songwriter of the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. T ...

. Both "King Caesar" and "Disco Hades II" take influences from

1990s File:1990s decade montage.png, From top left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope orbits the Earth after it was launched in 1990; American jets fly over burning oil fields in the 1991 Gulf War; the Oslo Accords on 13 September 1993; the World ...

dance music; Palumbo said the band were excessively listening to British music. "The Razor" is reminiscent of works of Glassjaw and

Taking Back Sunday Taking Back Sunday is an American rock band from Amityville, New York, formed by guitarist Eddie Reyes and bassist Jesse Lacey in late 1999. The band's current members are Adam Lazzara (lead vocals), John Nolan (lead guitar, keyboards, voc ...

. "Dance Party Plus" starts with a hard-rock intro that switches to

power chords A power chord , also called a fifth chord, is a colloquial name for a chord on guitar, especially on electric guitar, that consists of the root note and the fifth, as well as possibly octaves of those notes. Power chords are commonly playe ...

over a

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

backdrop. "Head Automatica Soundsystem" is a

rap rock Rap rock is a music genre that developed from the early to mid-1980s, when hip hop DJs incorporated rock records into their routines and rappers began incorporating original and sampled rock instrumentation into hip hop music. Rap rock is co ...

song. The album's closing track "I Shot William H. Macy" sounds like a mixture of EMF and

Gang of Four The Gang of Four () was a Maoist political faction composed of four Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials. They came to prominence during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) and were later charged with a series of treasonous crimes due to th ...

, and concludes with a telephone call from rapper

Cage A cage is an enclosure often made of mesh, bars, or wires, used to confine, contain or protect something or someone. A cage can serve many purposes, including keeping an animal or person in captivity, capturing an animal or person, and displayi ...

Release

In July 2003, the existence of Head Automatica was made public and "At the Speed of a Yellow Bullet" was posted online.

, which had released ''Worship and Tribute'', had first choice for the album. Palumbo was surprised by the label's enthusiasm for the music; he was expecting to release material through an independent label and was in discussion with two of them. In February 2004, ''Spin'' reported the album would be titled ''Tokyo Decadence'' and released the following month, by which time the band's lineup had expanded to seven members. In March 2004, Head Automatica went on a short tour with

. "Dance Party Plus", "Please Please Please (Young Hollywood)", and "Beating Heart Baby" were made available for streaming on June 7, 2004. On June 24 that year, ''Decadence'' was announced for release in two months' time. Around this time, the band performed several dates on the

and supported

The Cure The Cure are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Crawley in 1976 by Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith (vocals, guitar) and Lol Tolhurst (drums). The band's current line-up comprises Smith, Perry Bamonte (guitar and keyboards), Reev ...

as part of the

in July and August 2004; between some of these performances, the band played headlining shows. On August 6, 2004, a music video for "Beating Heart Baby" was posted online. It had been filmed during their performance at

CBGB CBGB was a New York City music club opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in the East Village, Manhattan, East Village in Manhattan, New York City. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters ''CBGB'' were for ''Cou ...

in New York earlier that month. ''Decadence'' was released on August 17, 2004; its UK release occurred a week later. For the artwork, Palumbo employed his friend Jane Marledge of Bantho Designs. The album was promoted with a West Coast US tour with Vaux,

Hopesfall Hopesfall is an American post-hardcore band from Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte, North Carolina, formed in 1998. They are currently signed to Equal Vision Records. The band dissolved in 2008 after all members, with the exception of singer ...

and Arkham the following month. In October and November 2004, the band supported

on their headlining tour of the US. Following this, the band were due to support

Lostprophets Lostprophets (stylised as lostprophets or LOSTPROPHETS) were a Welsh rock band from Pontypridd, formed in 1997 by singer Ian Watkins and guitarist Lee Gaze. The group was founded after their former band Fleshbind broke up. They later recruit ...

on their UK tour and play a headlining show in London but these engagements were canceled due to Palumbo's Crohn's disease. At the end of the year, Palumbo had surgery related to Crohn's disease. The band also had to cancel their support slot on the Used's UK tour in early 2005 because Palumbo was again hospitalized with Crohn's disease shortly after landing. Another headlining performance was also canceled. Palumbo was initially treated in a London facility and continued his recovery in New York City. "Beating Heart Baby" was released as the

from ''Decadence'' in the UK on January 31, 2005, alongside a reissue of the album. "Beating Heart Baby" was released to US radio on February 22, 2005. The band were due to support

Sugarcult Sugarcult was an American rock band from Santa Barbara, California, formed in 1998. The band consisted of Tim Pagnotta (vocals, rhythm guitar), Airin Older (bass), Marko DeSantis (lead guitar), and Kenny Livingston (drums). History Formation ...

on the US

Take Action Tour The Take Action Tour is an annual spring tour that not only hosts several bands, but also tries to get people alerted about the issues with teen suicide, and ultimately tries to prevent it. The tour was created by both Sub City and Hopeless Recor ...

but due to Palumbo being hospitalized, they were replaced by

. In May and June 2005, Head Automatica toured the US with

Acceptance Acceptance in psychology is a person's recognition and assent to the finality of a situation without attempting to change or protest it. This plays out at both the individual and societal level as people experience change. Types of acceptanc ...

Vendetta Red Vendetta Red is an American alternative rock band from Seattle, Washington, that was formed in 1998. They released an EP, ''6 Kisses, A Blatant Reminder of Why We Are Alive'', in 1999 and two albums, '' Blackout Analysis'' in 2000 and '' White ...

, and

Nightmare of You Nightmare of You is an American indie rock band from New York City. Formed in 2004, the band currently consists of original founder vocalist Brandon Reilly, guitarist Joseph McCaffrey, and drummer Michael Fleischmann. They have toured the US, ...

. Following this, they went on a week-long tour with Caruana's other band

I Am the Avalanche I Am the Avalanche is an American punk rock band from Brooklyn, New York. The group's name comes from a lyric written by Vinnie Caruana for a song which was later discarded. The phrase also appears in the poem ''"Oh, Immobility, Death's Vast As ...

as support, and performed further dates through to the end of the month. During this period, the music video for "Please Please Please (Young Hollywood)" was posted online. Another video was made for "Beating Heart Baby"; it was posted online on July 19, 2005. Around this time, further shows with I Am the Avalanche were canceled because of Palumbo's Chron's disease, which left him hospitalized. They toured with

theStart theStart (stylized as theSTART) is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. History Aimee Echo and Jamie Miller formed the band in 1998, originally named Hero. They changed it to theStart on October 31, 1999, because "Hero" was alre ...

and then supported

Finch The true finches are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. Finches generally have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and nuts and often have colourful plumage. They occupy a great range of habitats where the ...

until August 2005. On August 7, 2005, the band had to cancel the remainder of the dates with Finch due to Palumbo's Crohn's disease flaring up.

Reception

''Decadence'' was met with mixed reviews from music critics. Diver said the album provides "track after track of dancefloor delights that should have disco doyens and emo kids smiling gleefully in tandem" and that it "fully deserves its title, and is well worth your attention". According to ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' reviewer Kirk Miller, Palumbo's "violent frown" and "veiled threats come off more like an invitation than a warning" compared to his earlier work with Glassjaw. Miller praised the "retrofunky grooves" for being "slinky, sexy and very now. They also prove a point: Sometimes, angry white boys just gotta dance". Thea Cooke of mxdwn.com held a similar sentiment, stating Palumbo "replaced his angst-ridden vengeful sound with catchy, poppy hooks", showing he has "singing talent, even if it is just as a cock-rocker". She summarized the album is "fast, slightly furious, and in line with the whole 'retro to be contemporary' feel". The staff at

Ultimate Guitar Ultimate Guitar (Ultimate Guitar USA LLC), also known as Ultimate-Guitar.com or simply UG, is an online platform for guitarists and musicians, started on October 9, 1998 by Eugeny Naidenov and based in San Francisco, US. Its website and mobile ...

considered the album a "portion of fresh air" among the mainstream

pop-punk Pop-punk (also punk-pop, alternatively spelled without the hyphen) is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop music, pop. It is defined by its fast-paced, energetic tempos, and emphasis on classic pop s ...

scene, complimenting the band as they fused Dan the Automator's "dance beats and squiggles and Palumbo's inclination for angry rock sound". They said the lyrics are "interesting and unobtrusive and can easily make you think and laugh at the same time". Jeff Vrabel of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' said the album has "a fuzzy, R&B-inflected club sound that really doesn't sound like anything else out there right now", though "other portions come off limp and awkward" because Palumbo appears as a "self-conscious aging popster". ''

Melodic A melody (), also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of pitch and rhythm, while more figuratively, the term c ...

'' reviewer Kaj Roth wrote "the level of the songs goes up and down" but there is "something for everyone on it". Manuel Möglich of ''

Ox-Fanzine ''Ox-Fanzine'' is a monthly punk zine from Solingen, Germany, founded in 1988. It is edited by Joachim Hiller and has had many contributors. Besides its focus on punk subculture, it also covers similar genres, reviews of comics, books and films, ...

'' said "even after repeated runs through the eleven tracks, the spark that ''Decadence'' is a really big album doesn't really want to jump over" and that only "half of all tracks are successful". According to Soundthesirens founder Billy Ho, ''Decadence'' is a "step in a new direction" but it "still doesn’t change the fact that Mr. Palumbo’s voice meanders from extremely irritating to mildly nauseating". He added the album is "just no fun at all. It's more like a sausage fest without the beer to inebriate the mood". Loftus said the mix of sounds on the album is not "100 percent consistent, and occasionally skates right past irony and straight into empty-headed pomposity. But in its best moments, ''Decadence'' is a dizzy paint shaker, as garish and morally bankrupt as you want your art sleaze to be." Jeff Miller wrote while the opening three tracks are "as close to perfect as anything that’s come out of the current dance-punk revival", the remainder "pales in comparison". ''Decadence'' reached number 125 on the

. ''Alternative Press'' ranked "Beating Heart Baby" at number 17 on their list of the best 100 singles of the 2000s. In 2019, Marianne Eloise of ''

Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British music webzine and quarterly magazine that primarily covers rock, punk and heavy metal music. Since 2017, the magazine has been published by Wasted Talent Ltd (the same company that owns electronic music publication ...

'' wrote following the album's release, "artists like

Fall Out Boy Fall Out Boy is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Patrick Stump, bassist Pete Wentz, lead guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer A ...

and their protégés played with dance, rock and pop in a way that didn't sound like Head Automatica, but may have been made possible by it". According to Eloise,

Sonny Moore Sonny John Moore (born January 15, 1988), known professionally as Skrillex, is an American DJ, record producer, musician, singer. Raised in Northeast Los Angeles and Northern California, he began his career in 2004 as the lead vocalist of the ...

From First to Last From First to Last is an American post-hardcore band formed in Tampa, Florida by Matt Good, Scott Oord, and Parker Nelms in November 1999. The current line-up consists of Matt Good (lead vocals and lead guitar), Travis Richter (rhythm guitar an ...

"transitioned from

screamo Screamo (also referred to as skramz) is a subgenre of emo that emerged in the early 1990s and emphasizes "willfully experimental dissonance and dynamics".Jason Heller, "Feast of Reason". ''Denver Westword'', June 20, 2002 Access date: June 15, 2 ...

to EDM as Skrillex, and more recently

Lil Peep Gustav Elijah Åhr (; November 1, 1996 – November 15, 2017), known professionally as Lil Peep, was an American rapper and singer-songwriter. He was a member of the hip-hop collective GothBoiClique, and is credited as being a leading figure of ...

rose to prominence releasing

emo rap Emo rap is a subgenre of Hip hop music, hip hop with influence from emo. Originating in the SoundCloud rap scene in the mid-2010s, the genre fuses characteristics of hip hop music, such as trap-style beats with vocals that are usually sung. Some ...

SoundCloud SoundCloud is a German audio streaming service owned and operated by SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG. The service enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is ...

". In 2022, Laura Marie Braun of ''Spin'' said "Beating Heart Baby" became an "instant

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Music Albums * ''Cross Over'' (album), a 1987 album by Dan Peek, or the title song * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'', an album by Intrigue * ''Crossover'', an album by ...

classic for scenesters and emo kids alike".

Track listing

All songs written by

and Dan Nakamura, except where noted.

Personnel

Personnel per booklet. Head Automatica *

– vocals, guitar *

Larry Gorman Larry Gorman (born May 9, 1972, in Astoria, Queens) is a rock drummer. Gorman has played in numerous hardcore punk, post-hardcore, and alternative rock bands, including Reach Out, voice, Direct, Fountainhead, Orange 9mm, A Day for Honey, Glassj ...

– drums * Brandon Arnovick – guitar * Jim Greer – keyboards * Jarvis Morgan Holden – bass * Craig Bonich – guitar Additional musicians *

Dan the Automator Daniel M. Nakamura (born August 29, 1966), better known by his stage name Dan the Automator, is an American record producer. He is the founder of the publishing company Sharkman Music and the record label 75 Ark. Early life Daniel M. Nakamura wa ...

– programming (all except tracks 3 and 6) *

– additional vocals (track 7) *

– phone call (track 11) Production and design * Dan the Automator – producer (all except tracks 3 and 6), mixing (track 10) *

– mixing (tracks 1, 2, 5, 8, 9 and 11) *

– producer (tracks 3 and 6), mixing (tracks 3, 6 and 7), additional production (track 7) * Mike Plotnikoff – engineer (tracks 3, 6 and 7) *

– mixing (track 4) * Craig Aaronson – additional production (track 7) * Jane Marledge – art direction, design * Xevi Muntane – photography

Charts

References

Citations Sources * *

External links

''Decadence''
at

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

(streamed copy where licensed) {{Authority control 2004 albums Head Automatica albums Albums produced by Dan the Automator Albums produced by Howard Benson Warner Records albums Dance-rock albums Garage rock albums by American artists Electronic rock albums by American artists