On “I Lied About Everything,” the 11th track on his brilliant new album, One Full Year, Dallas native Luis Dubuc — aka The Secret Handshake — opines that “maybe I think too much.”

If only other musicians put as much thought into their music as Dubuc's The Secret Handshake.

Dubuc, like Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst, is essentially a one-man show, one who writes and records all his own music then utilizes a backing band on tour. But the similarities end there, as Oberst relies on alt-country folk rock, whereas Dubuc adheres to more of a new wave/pop/hip-hop sound.

From One Full Year's trippy opener, “Too Young,” to its haunting closer, “Crosses Fingers,” The Secret Handshake has crafted a genius record filled with techno, synthesizer-driven songs of heartbreak and love.

Lyrics such as “don't leave me baby/’cause you're all that I've got” (“Game Girl”) and “I watch you like a midnight movie/you act as if you never knew me” (“Midnight Movie”) display Dubuc's ability to sound heartfelt and heartbroken without being too much of a downer.

Not that all of the 14 songs on One Full Year are solemn. In fact, upbeat tracks “Summer of ’98” and “Lately” were made for the club, or, at the very least, a sunny afternoon drive with the windows rolled down.

After all, One Full Year is an album to enjoy. You can leave the deep thinking to Dubuc and his Secret Handshake moniker.

CLINT HALE | 210SA