Netherfriends

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 Amazon

 Lala

Netherfriends are an indie pop band who mix in a bunch of different instruments into its guitar-keyboards-drums setup. The liner notes mention banjo, melodica, and glockenspiel, making the six songs on Calling You Out slightly more interesting. Sure, band mastermind Shawn Rosenblatt knows his way around a pop song, but nothing stands out. Opener “Friends With Lofts” has hyper-jaded lyrics about playing in and watching bands in the big city. That jaded attitude is a bit off-putting, but at least it gives the song an identity. The rest of this EP, from the warbling, mostly instrumental “Nunya” to the sad-sack closer “Don’t Invite Me”, is pleasant and listenable, but that doesn’t cut it when so much music out there mines similar territory.

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