Buy This Now!

One of the most striking things about Uni Boys Do It All Next Week was the tight grip they already had on their version of power pop. Theyd traveled to the style from punk, psych-rock, and prog, exploring rock from all angles before boiling it down to the harmonies, handclaps, and jangly hooks they delivered precisely -- but not too studiously -- on their first album as a power pop act. To co-produce Buy This Now!, the band recruited Brian and Michael DAddario of the Lemon Twigs, whose maximalist, chameleonic take on the style is almost diametrically opposed to Uni Boys back-to-basics approach. Working together, they meet somewhere in the middle: Buy This Now! hits a sweet spot that adds just enough extras to light up its songs. The DAddarios harmonies help brings things to life on "Lets Watch a Movie" and "Im Alright," where the Beach Boys-worthy backing vocals complete the retro mood. The rest of Uni Boys sound also gets a glossy upgrade on Buy This Now! Pumping keyboards provide the perfect backdrop for their guitar solos, which soar even higher on songs such as "Down to the City" than they did on Do It All Next Week. And while Uni Boys are still mainly concerned with loves ups and downs and lifes little joys -- "Hiding in My Home" sings the praises of eating takeout in the nude -- they branch out on tracks like "Intentions," which ponders the choices that must be made while growing up, and they challenge conformity on "Dont Wanna Be Like You." They also explore some more elaborate songcraft on Buy This Now! Bassist Reza Matin balances some tricky chord changes with choruses that are pure power pop bliss on "Two Years," while guitarist Noah Nash gives "Somewhere to Fall" a strutting rhythm embellished with buzzy synths. That both songs deal with heartache and pride reflect just how tuned into each other Matin and Nash are as songwriters, and the more unified feeling in Uni Boys world on this album. Buy This Now! may be a tighter and brighter set of songs than Do It All Next Week, but its just as much fun. ~ Heather Phares