Made up of active members of Toronto, Canada's indie rock scene,
Century Palm
makes its full-length debut with
Meet You
, which introduces the project's brooding, dance-prompting synth pop. Fans of a certain age or persuasion will recognize the influence of post-punks like
Joy Division
and
Wire
, as well as more new wave-leaning outfits such as
Devo
. The latter can be heard on tracks like the spry, staccato opener, "Reset Reaction," while the former is more apparent on songs like "Another You" and "King of John St.," which was inspired by moving to Toronto from smaller towns and feeling lost in its height, history, and population. Somewhat contrasting, "Sick of It" is a guitar-heavy tune that features a talky,
Iggy Pop
-type vocal delivery ("Who do you think you are coming around here with your feelings...I'm sick of it, yeah"). The snare pounds out each beat of the song under rambling guitars, marching synths, and saxophone. The closer, "Desire," is a different recording of a tune that appeared on a split EP with
Feel Alright
six months prior to the album's release. With an overall lush design and simple hooks,
is immersed in sounds of the late '70s and early '80s rather than borrowing from them, so recommended for the post-punks amongst us. ~ Marcy Donelson