Uh Huh Her

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Amazon

No, it’s not a PJ Harvey project, though this new Los Angeles duo’s surely influenced to some extent by that indie icon. The bright and sunny electropop on their debut EP I See Red reminds of Kosheen, though it’s not as radio-single-ready; rising guitars will gradually overwhelm the vocals in a chorus, or an interesting, hard-edged synth sound will be turned down so low in the mix it becomes more atmosphere-building than the prominent dance bassline it could have been. This is all purposeful, you get a sense: Uh Huh Her may veer towards mainstream pop sounds, but they try to undercut this wherever possible. “I See Red”, for example, uses an insistent beeping sound that crescendos at the end of phrases to interrupt the passivity of the rest of the song—it’s distracting, but you remember it. At some times the group comes across like a less imaginative Annie, at others like a more energetic Au Revoir Simone. Either way, there’s some substance to these initially saccharine pop compositions. First single “Say So”, here in two versions, doesn’t show the group’s full potential, though: catchy enough for a TV theme or commercial, it’s lacking the irresistible hook of a chorus that would make the group a household name. Give them time.

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