The Withouts
BY Sarah Liss
November 12, 2008 13:11
THE WITHOUTS PLAY SNEAKY DEE’S (431 COLLEGE) NOV 13.
Cherise Burda has a voice that sounds engineered to front a power pop band. Her vocals are sticky-sweet, with an ageless girlishness that leaves you wondering whether she’s 16 or 34. But when called for, she can muster a subtle, prickly sneer that allows her to deliver pointed jabs that add an ironic edge to the The WithHouTs’ candy-coated melodies. The debut EP from the Toronto-based quartet — whose members have done stints in Noah’s Arkweld and Two-Minute Miracles — is the sort of high-energy power pop that Mint Records used to release in the early aughts (think Operation Makeout). Veteran producer Ian Blurton adds a hint of messiness — the intro to opener “FallOver” features snarling bar-rock guitar — but otherwise leaves these pleasant but vaguely forgettable tunes clean and unfettered.
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