New Year's Resolution

New Year's Resolution make pleasant, shimmering, autumnal indie pop — something like Death Cab For Cutie with a Sleater-Kinney vocal delivery. They play "mature" emo a la Joan of Arc or Sunny Day Real Estate, with whining croons over soft, crystal clear keyboards and abrupt tempo changes. The vocals bring to mind an unhinged Katie Sketch of fellow BC-ers the Organ, with whom New Year's Resolution have shared the stage in the past. It's the same deep, mellow outpour, only it flies upwards and down and trips a bit along the lower notes. At their best, New Year's Resolution are haunting, sparse, and pretty. At their worst, they seem like they're trying a little too hard — their emotions fizzle as a result, and the vocals sound affected and strained, as if the band is trying too hard to glean a sound they’re already pretty good at. Their sound is straight up post-emo indie pop, with depth by way of bittersweet hooks and broken licks. They do it pretty well, and while the material is not groundbreaking, it's appreciable.