There’s something strangely comforting about the songs that stay with you long after the relationship ends. The ones that turn missing someone into muscle memory. DECO-LUXE just dropped a track that lives exactly in that space, and it hits harder than expected.
Habit sits at the crossroads of Dance Pop, Synthpop, and Alt Pop, pulling the bright, melodic instincts of Ace of Base into the same room as the cooler, more atmospheric side of Eurythmics. The result feels both nostalgic and current. You get those classic synthpop hooks, but they’re wrapped in modern production that keeps everything feeling sharp and lived-in rather than purely retro.
What really stands out is the texture. Modulated tape recordings and chopped, pitched kalimba samples give the track a tactile quality, like you’re hearing something that has already been played, rewound, and played again. It doesn’t sound polished to perfection. It sounds used, which fits the theme perfectly. This is a song about the small, stubborn habits of missing someone that refuse to leave even when the relationship itself is gone.
Kyat Cute’s vocals sit right in the center of that feeling. There’s an ache in the delivery that never tips into melodrama. It stays controlled, almost matter-of-fact, which somehow makes the emotion land harder. You can hear the weight of repetition in the performance. The same thoughts, the same patterns, the same quiet pull back toward someone you know you should leave alone.
DECO-LUXE as a project was built for this kind of emotional directness. The sound comes from analog synth textures, driving rhythms, and songwriting that doesn’t hide behind abstraction. Comparisons to The Midnight, CHVRCHES, Phantogram, and M83 make sense once you hear how the tracks balance atmosphere with clear melodic focus. The project itself grew out of a reinvention, a shift from guitar toward drums, synths, and production. That change became the foundation, and you can feel the intentionality in the way Habit is put together. Nothing feels accidental.
New album Eventide is on the way, with the single Mellow already out as of late August. If Habit is any indication of the direction, the full project should sit comfortably in that lane of emotionally grounded synthpop that still works on a dancefloor. There’s enough pulse and drive here to keep bodies moving, but the song never loses sight of the feeling at its core.
Synthpop and Dance Pop have been having a strong moment again, with artists leaning into both the bright 80s-inspired melodies and the darker, more introspective side of the genre. Habit manages to touch both without feeling stuck in either. It’s catchy enough to stick, textured enough to reward repeated listens, and honest enough that the emotional core doesn’t get lost under the production.
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What do you think of Habit? Does the blend of retro synthpop and modern alt pop hit for you, or is there another track in this lane that does it better? Drop your thoughts in the comments.
