George Lewis, Jr.'s self-described bizarre and lonely childhood forms the backdrop for his work as Twin Shadow, and he uses the sounds of the past as a foundation. But while the 26-year-old Brooklynite's music is steeped in 1980s new wave-- he sometimes takes on Morrissey's vocal tone and phrasing, and threads of British bands like Echo and the Bunnymen and Depeche Mode run through his songs-- Lewis does well by this much-revisited era. Simplicity is part of what carries it over. On Forget, his debut full-length, he mostly sticks with a small collection of synth sounds-- strings, organ, piano, and brass-- along with electric guitar and drum machine. The instruments are clean, shimmery, and carefully placed. With Grizzly Bear's Chris Taylor handling production, this limited palette proves to be more than enough to work with, and each song is immediately distinguishable from the others. Lewis' execution is immaculate, and he manages to make these familiar sounds into something that sounds refreshing and even dazzling.

The hotel-room production is ideally suited to the subject matter, matching the charged emotions of the lyrics. "Yellow Balloon" is full of vignettes from youth-- "If you hear your mama calling/ Get away from me/ Secret handshakes/ The swimming hole"-- and the icy atmosphere, along with a creepy piano line, suggests that these memories aren't necessarily good ones. On another standout, "Tether Beat", a ghostlike synth ranges around in the lower registers as Lewis asks over and over, "Does your heart still beat?" Album highlight "Castles in the Snow" creates a metaphor from the imagery of the title, using sharp hi-hats, handclaps, piercing strings, and bird-like vocal calls to show that everything the narrator touches "turns cold." Tracks like these create a mood that is nostalgic, regretful, and even sinister.

Roughly half the album consists of these slower, dreamier turns; the other half is faster paced and thus better tailored to the live setting (or a high school dance). On these songs, Lewis tackles the same broad subject of love-- forbidden crushes, dance floor flirtations, serious relationships-- with the same overall aesthetic. But he abandons menace in favor of sweetness: the bass on "Shooting Holes" and "When We're Dancing" thumps out locomotive disco beats; pretty flutes and strings accent the excellent dance floor saga "I Can't Wait"; and the sparkling synths on closer "Forget" create a lulling slow dance for Lewis' loaded refrain, "They'll give us so much to forget." Here, Lewis' lyrics are more narrative and romantic, but they're no less witty or poetic.

Taken whole, Forget feels undeniably of the moment, fitting in nicely with the craftsmanship of 80s pop revivalists like the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Lewis' labelmate Class Actress, and, to some degree, the xx. And like the best of this wave, the album also has a function beyond its danceable beats and electronic fireworks: It is sophisticated enough to withstand close, repeated listening. The songs may be catchy, but their intricacy and thoughtful storytelling makes them stick. And for its impressive sonic sheen, the album's skillful restraint makes it sound better with every spin. Instead of merely evoking an established style, Lewis' songs feel honest and straightforward, so the new wave glances are a vehicle for the songwriting rather than the whole point.