Carnations

As their bio painfully points out, this Oshawa, ON,. band has had more than its share of ups and downs over the past five years. Luckily, most of the band only recently entered their 20s, so this EP (their third release) certainly bodes well for their future. Working with Ian Blurton behind the board was their first right move, and the six bright and hard-hitting tunes inevitably left me wanting more. Main songwriter Thom D’Arcy clearly learned from working with John Kastner in All Systems Go, and while Starling’s Ian LeFeuvre is on drums here, his smart and hooky songwriting is the Carnations’ nearest touchstone. A few more good moves seems like all it will take to get them where they clearly deserve to be. The Carnations is a tiny power-pop gem.