Pain contains three self-penned numbers but the title cut is a well-chosen Alice Cooper oldie where Decoup rocks up the song's guitar part beyond the original while delivering Cooper's roll-call of nastiness with jaundiced eye disgust.

On his own material Decoup doesn't come right out and say, "Hey, this sucks, change the world" so much as he matter-of-factly lays out scenarios of past or present injustice, like on the stark, Communists-referencing "Say Hello to Misery," a tune that will resonate with fans of performers like Peter Murphy.

"Stranded in Marseille" with self-deprecating lines like "I am just another one of your fools" and "I know I'm not that witty" plays out at a breakneck pace, almost as if portraying a scene where the wheels are spinning but nothing's moving, while "Burn Me to the Ground," similarly performed through the eyes of a defeated person, is the one song here that offers a little hope through the grief.

Despite the depressing subject matter that Decoup explores on Pain the songs are fun, uplifting even, thanks to hook-filled arrangements built around lots of screaming guitar licks. Decoup has a full-length in the can and ready to go early next year; in the meantime Pain is available to provide plenty of pleasure.