Cults/SACCO/Mood Rings

Adopting highly stylized forms of songwriting and production is a dangerous game. Setting yourself against an existing backdrop welcomes comparative (and often negative) criticism. Lucky for Cults, they're great at what they do. The reverb-heavy, polished vocals alongside punchy beats give Cults their unique, adopted sound; almost a modern take on Motown. Their 2011 debut record first released on Bandcamp rocketed them into the indie music world. Full of singable, dream-pop hits like "Bumper" or the Apple-commercial-worthy "Go Outside," Cults placed them in the sweetest part of our hearts. On their recently released follow-up album Static, they maintain their atmospheric background of synths, strings and droning guitars but take the sweetness down a notch. Moving away from the blissful happiness of their first record, Static is subtle and sneaky like a Dirty Harry film; still grungy and punchy but not so obvious. Positioning themselves as a mainstay in the indie-pop arena beside contemporaries Vampire Weekend and Sleigh Bells, the duo demands repeat listens of their catchy, partly sunny songs. (Stoops)