On May 22, the town of Belmar, NJ celebrated the grand reopening of their boardwalk after extensive repairs were done to reverse the devastating effects of Hurricane Sandy. The news couldn’t have come at a better time with Memorial Day being just around the corner and with it brings the (unofficial) start of the Summer season. No beach trip would ever be complete without the quintessential soundtrack. Brooklyn-based sister act Hey Anna have crafted a winning set of music custom-made for these sun-soaked days with the Pompette EP.
On their eponymous EP, Hey Anna exhibted a brisk balancing act between modern indie rock and 60′s-style girl pop. That same approach is revisited here, but with a tighter, more cohesive marriage of techniques. Andrew Smolin’s guitars expertly compliment Anna & Erin Rauch-Sasseen’s snyths on ”Tim McQue.” If “McQue” was to be described as the drive to the shore, “Dance Until Three” would be the ensuing beach party. The song casually strolls into dance pop territory as drummer Matthew Langner and bassist Katie Rauch-Sasseen highlight the track with some tight grooves.
As if the “party” were coming to a close, the second half of the EP slow things down a bit without sacrificing the fun and exuberance displayed in the first two numbers. Fans of the Hey Anna EP will feel right at home with “Pia” and the closer “Superglue.” The former’s chorus will float around in your head long after the song has finished and “Superglue” finds the sisters doing what they do best. Anna, Katie and Erin’s harmonies are the cornerstone of their music, but “Superglue” is a great showcase of that skill.
Though significantly shorter than its predecessor, Pompette capitalizes on what made Hey Anna so much fun to listen to in the first place. This will undoubtedly find its way on many a mix CD/playlist this Summer.
Rating: A
Top Pick(s): “Pia,” “Dance Until Three”
