Popup: Chinese Burn/Stagecoach

Popup are from Glasgow, that Scottish town that isn’t so wee. Far more hyper than Franz Ferdinand or Sons and Daughters, Popup have more in common with Arctic Monkeys, particularly on the hi-hat heavy dance rock driving the tight “Chinese Burn”. Think of a hyper Franz or a slightly slower version of The Futureheads and the song becomes clearer. The “radio mix” version is very tight and polished, and terribly good to boot. And there is not much difference between that and “Chinese Burn” the “original mix”. It definitely gets one legs moving to the point where hitting the replay button is the only option available. “Stagecoach” is much tamer, a waltz-y mid-tempo number that causes involuntary swaying in one’s chair. Hard to make a judgment on just two songs, but this is a damn good start.