Tanlines – Settings EP (2010) [True Panther] // Grade: B+

I have this theory that listening to Missing Persons while driving around an itty-bitty beach town is just about the best way to spend your life ever—so when Tanlines’ calypso drum-circle “Real Life” hinged itself on the lyric “my destination was unknown”, I felt totally at one with the Brooklyn duo’s deal. Here’s a band who gets it—the weird magic that results from rolling bikini tops and overproduced synths into one giddy package—and even if the MP reference wasn’t intentional (though I really hope it was), it substantiated my theory all the same.

Because Settings is one hell of a deliriously happy EP. Steel drums, the warmest bass, all manner of clicks and clacks and finger snaps; call their debut some tropical gimmick, but at least Tanlines have it down. Tracks like “Reinfo” and its engulfing round of three-note melodies and the almost-dark sunset thump of “Policy of Trust” are jaunty and perfectly (over)produced, and Glasser’s vocals on “Z” explode into the best harmonies: all seagulls and crashing waves. Settings is fun without feeling quirky, silly without a hint of preciousness; electro-boardwalk jams hip to a trend, for sure, but so thoughtfully created.

Granted, more than a few songs of this might be a bit much. For all its spot-on poly-rhythms and beachy cool melodies, Settings doesn’t dive much deeper than face value; the tracks sort of blend together once you spin the EP twice. But let’s worry about the intricacies of a Tanlines full-length later—until then, Settings is the perfect little outro to winter’s so-dark days. Hello, spring.

- Rue Sauvage