Even though they're from Los Angeles, French Vanilla sound a whole lot like British C86 bands. And even though they're from Los Angeles, French Vanilla sound a whole lot like Priests from right here in Washington, D.C. I suppose both statements are equally true, as is the statement that reaffirms how consistent the band's new album is. How Am I Not Myself?, out on Friday via Danger Collective, is full of snappy and sharp indie-pop that gets the brain working as the toes start tapping.
"Real or Not" shimmers like stuff from Priests and the legendary Le Tigre, while "Lost Power" is even better, flashes of dance-y post-punk all throughout this one. Elsewhere, "All the Time" and "Suddenly" sound like mid-tempo numbers from X-Ray Spex, complete with squawks of Lora Logic-style saxophone. At their best, French Vanilla update this kind of music for this century, with the lyrical concerns being adult ones, and the tunes gliding by on sleek, resilient riffs. At times, like on the rather risky "Move Along, Move Ahead", the band very nearly achieves real lift-off, the inspiration-points transcended and subsumed. But for the most part, How Am I Not Myself? works best if one has at least a passing familiarity with the acts that clearly pointed the way for French Vanilla. Still, it's a fun record and one can't deduct too many points for a perceived lack of originality when the tunes are this jaunty and affecting.
How Am I Not Myself? is out on Friday via Danger Collective.
More details on French Vanilla via their official Facebook page.
[Photo: Lizzie Klein]