Generationals: Lucky Numbers EP

Lucky Numbers is the brief, self-released follow-up to Generationals’ break-out record, Actor-Caster, and it continues many of the charms of that record, though it doesn’t necessarily push them forward. The title track, like the album that preceded it, leans heavily on electro-pop synths and bright melodies with hushed vocals and subtle hooks. For a band that is at its best when you can hear its lean rock muscle under the gossamer tones, the songs leans a bit too much towards the precious — though not as much as the third track here, the airy “Hazel House”. Luckily, in between the two is the shadowy albeit brief highlight “Sale City”, which strips down to angular hooks with great effect. In these three songs we get three degrees of Generationals, from the overly sweet to the straightforward, and though we see what makes the band work best — as well as what tendencies hold them back from out-and-out greatness — we also don’t learn much new about the band here. It’s a brief, solid taste, but the flavors on Lucky Numbers don’t really linger.