Popshifter‘s review of Utopia’s final album, P.O.V. (1985), muses about Todd Rundgren’s “musical twitchiness,” stating that he “jumps from style to style, from Philly white-boy blues to synth-pop, from down and dirty rock and roll to salsa. Never knowing what he’ll do next is exciting for some, laborious for others.
In the late Seventies, Rundgren formed a band called Utopia. It was designed to be his big foray into progressive rock, exploring grand concepts and incorporating deep philosophical lyrics. As it gradually shrank from seven members to four, Utopia became one of the sharpest New Wave bands of its time, delivering perfect three-minute pop songs, deliciously textured with soaring, shifting harmonies. Utopia was never as gritty as The Cars or as raunchy as Blondie. It’s feasible to consider them as a bridge between New Wave and the New Romantics, with their ‘Shape of Things to Come’ fashion sense and lyrics ranging from sweet to snappy.”
“Style,” features wall-to-wall everything: layered vocal harmonies, shiny synth work by Roger Powell, crunchy guitar from Rundgren, and a few brief shuffles through keys of the moment. Keeping Kasim Sulton very busy with both lead vocal duty and a rangy syncopated bass line, the track starts in F minor and shifts up a whole step to G minor at 2:36.
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