Bizarre Learning Center

Kicking off with the bubbling and feisty “Bigger,” this EP finds the mostly instrumental Bizarre Learning Center channeling the distorted, glittery melodies of the Pastels or Black Tambourine, only at double speed. Robin Walker’s soothing vocals are mixed at a level comparable to the rest of the instrumentation, resulting in the echoing, ethereal shine heard on “Lost Summer”; that tune recalls a moodier Velocity Girl, with jagged-edged yet atmospheric guitar tones breezing over anchoring bass notes. “Backporch Song” begins with the sound of crickets and other insects, and then a lonely, impressionistic guitar melody drifts in with the occasional distant bark of a small dog, offering a pastoral counterpoint to the other two tracks. The songwriting is strong here, and though the EP is a bit on the lo-fi side, it stands as an intimate snapshot of the early phase of a promising band.