Amiable California indie trio
Night School make their debut with
Blush, a woozy ten-song effort that merges '60s girl group innocence with lush dreamy textures. While they're far from the first group to mine the influence of
the Shirelles and
Shangri-Las, they do so with more sweetness than spunk, updating their tales of heartbreak and woe with '90s fuzz pop tones and a bit of 4AD swirl. Formed in 2013 by Alexandra Morte and Baylie Arin, the nascent duo soon found a home with Georgia-based Graveface Records, which issued
Night School's first EP, Heart Beat, in late 2014. Bassist Cheyenne Avant joined the fold just prior to the EP's release and makes her own recording debut with the band here on
Blush. While the sounds on Heart Beat were pure lo-fi indie,
Blush distinguishes itself with a denser, more robust production value that better suits
Night School's winsome vibes. The punchy power-trio strength of tracks like "These Times," "Last Disaster," and "Lost" is offset by the warmth of Morte's gentle voice and the group's alluring harmonies. Comparisons to plucky garage angels like
Dum Dum Girls or
Vivian Girls are apt, though
Night School rely less on punk spirit, focusing instead on the tender teenage emotions of their Brill Building forebears. There is even a jangling little acoustic track called "Teen Feelings," replete with chiming guitar leads and tales of summer love. For all of their swooning indie pop sweetness,
Night School's adherence to a sort of mid-'90s
Belly-esque alt-pop sound keeps them from becoming too unbearably twee on this solid debut. ~ Timothy Monger