
The first thing to jump out about Fanclub’s “Leaves” is the run of sharp little synth stabs, each of which injects the song with a tiny hit of sugar. Influences dating back as many as 40 years make their way into the mix — the synth-pop of the early ’80s, the smeared-out shoegaze of the early ’90s, the twee bedroom pop that’s taken off in the Internet era, and so on — but they’re all in service of hooky, timeless pop songwriting and the charming vocals of Leslie Crunkilton.