Subjects

Born of a pair of high school carnival performances in 2003, Manhattan jagged-pop quartet the Subjects combine Thermals-like lo-fi grit with the rhythmic swagger of the Strokes and brilliantly off-kilter vocal-and-guitar melodies a la Lilys and the Shins. This is fun, at times frantic rock club pop delivered with enough sweat and pimples to make its old school, new wave familiarity sound fresh and sincerely naive. With any luck, the band are on top of an imminent full-length debut, as these four killer tracks demand way more music, now, dammit.