Sounding like a mix of Arctic Monkeys and early The Strokes, The Postelles’ debut self-titled album offers 12 songs, each coming in at around three minutes long, that will add a little zip to a morning commute and have you tapping your feet until you wear a hole in the soles of your shoes.
Though the songs typically doggy paddle in the shallow end, they are sung with an addictive energy and sincerity, and backing vocals smile along with the occasionally tongue-in-cheek lyrics on “Boys Best Friend” and try to cheer things up when the words turn sad on “Hold On.” Electric and acoustic guitars marry well, and drums keep things moving. “Stella” and “123 Stop” hop like a rabbit, with the band sounding like they’re welcoming you onstage to jump around with them.
You won’t really feel like you’re listening to anything new, but that didn’t seem to be The Postelles’ goal here; rather, they have refined the sounds of their influences to a smooth, polished stair banister to slide down. They don’t seem to care if you like them or not, but they’ll be happy as hell to play for you if you do.
In A Word: Zippy