Power pop/beach pop/girl pop. Maybe a bit of punk in there too. Debut album from a Los Angeles band. Casual-sounding, effortless harmonies buttressed by disciplined guitar work. The voices are really interesting--deep female voices with great depth. Wonderful, golden-sounding guitars. A lot of “beach” music ends up sounding kind of aimless and lazy, but the guitars refuse to let this album sag. Awesome.

Recommended: 1, 2, 7, 8, 10. Any.

1) “Stay Too” (2:41): Simple catchy riff almost becomes a little menacing. Song has a great momentum.
2) “Somebody New” (2:52): Quavering harmonies. Repetitive lyrics presented in a few different styles--kind of a sampler platter. “I’m not the one who’s broken-hearted.”
3) “I’ve Been Known” (3:52): More of a ballad at first. Unusual alto voice. Guitars jump in and it becomes much richer--long instrumental finish.
4) “Down the Drain” (2:35): Percussive guitars, more harmonies. Interesting key change.
5) “Ancient History” (3:42): Beach guitar and some great lyrics. “Now he’s ancient history, hope he’s not too pissed at me.”
6) “Waffle” (2:59): (FCC: SHIT) Kind of golden-sounding chorus--guitars at a walking pace. “I don’t know if I’m ever going back there.”
7) “Jealous Heart” (4:27): “Jealous heart you’re tearing me apart.” Complaining about a possessive boyfriend. Complicated and interesting song structure.
8) “No Madonna” (2:28): Hard hitting intro. Almost spoken-singing. Great messy.
9) “Leave Me” (2:41): (FCC: FUCK) More of a golden, relaxed sound. Profanity kind of comes out of nowhere.
10) “Same Old Song” (4:13): More emphasis on the voices: “I just can’t stop thinking how it all went wrong.” Two voices playing with each other.
11) “Windows Down” (3:34): Sedate driving song. “So far from town with the windows down.”

-- Mr Tumnus