Shake a Baby - EP

Album Review

Angelic Swells, the 2010 debut from California four-piece Neverever, was a swoon of carefree '60s-influenced indie pop. The songs were sparkling, upbeat, and generally seemed pretty happy. On Shake-a-Baby, the five-song EP follow-up, the band stays true to its upbeat musical style, but with an oddly dissatisfied subtext. While the band works to marry a variety of classic pop styles, lyrical themes are almost across-the-board angry, lost, or downright bummed out. Starting with the dance-ready hooks of "Bunker Spreckles," it's hard not to do a double take at lead vocalist Jihae Meek's sweetly sung lyrics like "Birthday 25, two more years of life" hidden under breezy guitars and beachy harmonies. The girl group firecracker "Mexicoco" is a rampant hate song, sung to a lame significant other who's ruining the summer. A friendly sounding oooh-ahhh chorus repeats "If I wasn't with you," wistfully over and over. This dour shade spills over to some of the music, imparting a strangely slow feel to some of the tracks. By the time the fuzz bass and shimmering Jesus and Mary Chain guitars of final track "Wedding Day" come around, the darkness of the lyrics has crept into the music as well, leaving a weird Twin Peaks-style cloud of eerie tones floating around this short but sweet (and sour?) cache of intensely catchy pop tunes.