Mod Lang

A pitch perfect record of power pop rises up out of Detroit, a gift gilded in honeyed harmonies and delivered with a wink and a sneer. The band skips the ’90s revival line and heads straight back to the source for this one. As the name might imply, the band’s hung on the Memphis ‘70s set, dipping of course, though Big Star, but also snagging shades of The Hot Dogs, Van Duren, and a little bit of Zuider Zee in there as well. The band’s early single hinted at a bit of ‘60s holdover rock, ripped on the long-tail lingerings of The Kinks and Nuggets bin one hitters. That specter doesn’t raise its head on the full length. It’s a pure stripe of power pop, ranging from the stage light shimmer of “In Advance” and the chugging hip swivel of “Cocomoda,” to fame-hounded hitters “TV Star, and “Big House.”

The more tender-hearted moments that roll down the backside of the record as well. Sometimes that’s the true test of a power pop band. It’s easy to amp up the vamp, curl the lip and crank out those chewy pop hits, but some of the best power pop from the ‘70s set also knew how to bring the lights low. Badfinger and The Raspberries knew how to slow the pace, and to their credit, so do Mod Lang. On “Fool In Love” the band gets a grip on jangles, turning in a campfire clap-along that’s built to last. Closer “In The Morning” hearkens back to the kind of vulnerably that marked their namesake. Big Star were probably the best example of a band that knew how to turn off the crunch and let that tear slide down the cheek, and the band’s final statement here is definitely aiming for “Thirteen” and “I’m In Love With A Girl” territory. This one slides on the shelf nicely next to newcomers like Uni Boys and The Lemon Twigs, but bury it deep in the bin and it’ll definitely fool a few crate diggers as well; a future classic in the making.

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