A B & The Sea

Boys & Girls EP

Record Review by Amber Henson

Well, here we are again, at the beginning of another summer.  And although it doesn’t bring the same excitement it did when I was a kid, it does mean there are lots of fun summer EPs for me to eat up.  And, damn, is Boys & Girls a perfect example of one.  A B & The Sea have released five singles for us indie surfer kids who love The Beach Boys with a modern twist (disclaimer: I don’t actually surf, but I do enjoy a good Mai Tai – is that close enough?).

Why modern, you ask?  Well, The Beach Boys never sang about heroin. Well, perhaps indirectly, but never “She’s my little heroin and I want her all to myself.”  And while there’s a lovely retro feel to the tracks, they’re definitely based in this millennium.

There’s also a lot of references to The Beach Boys, like the line “Oh, I can’t believe in you,” in the song “Down and Around” makes me think of the track “You Still Believe in Me” on Pet Sounds.  And having a track named for a girl (“Suzie”).

But A B and The Sea are more than just a nostalgia band.  They know how to create good, original music that makes me want to add all the songs to my “Dance Party” mix (no, I haven’t had a dance party yet, but I am *really* prepared if one comes up).  Except perhaps for the last track, “Johnny,” where they go a little solo crazy.  Still a great song, but really more of a sing-along vibe than something you can shake it to (it also clocks in at six minutes long).  But the opening track “Bone Dry” is one of the more addictive songs I’ve heard this year.  Anytime there’s whistling in songs, I’m pretty much a sucker for it.

Best of all?  Four of the five songs on the EP are available for free through the band's website or their MySpace page (and the fifth is free if you talk about them on Twitter or Facebook).  So really, you have no excuse.  Start dancing.