Positions

There really couldn’t be a more appropriate title for the debut album by Washington DC’s the Positions. This is bright, shiny and cute indie pop at its best. Formed by Ivan Ramiscal from the now-defunct Barcelona, there is a striking similarity in their sound to that of DC legends Velocity Girl, mostly thanks to the sugary vocals of Nicole Stoops. It also didn’t hurt that Velocity Girl’s Archie Moore produced the album. The heavy use of brass and strings give the album a strong, rich sound, which has been carefully put together by Moore. The tight mixing with the occasional kiss of reverb gives the album a nicely produced feel. Many potentially decent indie pop albums fall flat as a result of poor production, and luckily, Bliss! works quite well. "Back to Me,” with its uplifting chorus and handclaps galore, is almost too catchy for its own good. "I Need You” takes the sound a bit further, with the guitars getting a bit noisier and the intensity growing as it plays out. The rest of the album sticks to short, sharp slices of geek pop that won’t break any moulds, but should definitely get some smiles on faces and maybe even a few shy indie kids on the dance floor.