Manners

iTunes Review

After racking up some excitement with the MGMT-goes-to-Oz track “Sleepyhead” on Passion Pit’s Chunk of Change EP (that song is included here, like a cereal box surprise), expectations ran high for the first official full-length from the band. Manners doesn’t disappoint, although a fuller, orchestral indie rock sound slightly dominates the electro-pop sensibility at the core of their music. Layers of youthful, gleeful voices ride high above pianos, synths and guitars, and a brawnier backbeat prevails on dance-worthy tracks like the effervescent single “The Reeling” and the spritely “Moth’s Wings.” Michael Angelakos’ floating falsetto is driven as much by shiny horns as by twinkling synth lines on “To Kingdom Come.” Sure, “Swimming in the Flood” shimmers with electronic ambience, and there are glassy, brash synths on “Little Secrets” but this Boston quintet is plenty comfortable exhibiting both an unabashed love for joyful pop constructs and a cool and controlled electronic dance rhythm. Passion Pit is a gleaming example of indie rock cross breeding, and Manners will be hard to top by other purveyors of this particular hybrid.