It's clear from the start of this record that the Baltimore trio
Expert Alterations have done their homework. Their debut EP is steeped in the jangliest, scrappiest indie pop, the kind that started off in the early '80s in New Zealand, bloomed in the mid-'80s in the U.K., and really never went away. The five songs here jitter and slash, guitars cutting across the jumpy rhythm section while the vocals yelp and croon in sympathy. It's nothing that anyone who's followed the history of this sound hasn't heard before, but the group play with such fiery energy and tuneful devotion (especially on the EP-ending gem "Three Signs") that it's hard to dismiss them as mere followers or pretenders. Instead, look at this EP as the beginning steps from a band with some serious potential for better things in the future, if they can keep the energy levels high and the sound as kicky as it is here. ~ Tim Sendra