Fans of Sparks’ 70s catalogue might appreciate local band Germaphobes. The Toronto new-wave-tinged art pop duo’s five-song debut EP is full of idiosyncratic playfulness and memorable tunes. There’s a tongue-in-cheekness to it (enhanced by the cable-knit sweaters and facial hair they sport in band photos), though musically Neil Rankin and Paul Erlichman seem careful not to be weird for the sake of weirdness. There’s a lot of craft in each thoughtfully layered, harmony-stacked (vocally and instrumentally) tune.
They sometimes veer toward soft rock thanks largely to heavy doses of chorus pedal on the guitars, and Husk Of A Man’s lounge-crooner vocals push the song into cheesy territory. But elsewhere they balance the light, clean tones with sonic power and eccentric songwriting. Take the title track, in which a mighty chorus surges in after the Talking Heads-like sputtering weirdness of the verses, all set to a disco beat. Meanwhile, Larger Diamonds’ zippy riff sits alongside proggy elements and a verse melody that brings to mind Pink Floyd’s The Wall.
Top track: Magic Eye
Germaphobes play the Silver Dollar Friday (January 22) and Smiling Buddha February 6.
