It seems as though After appeared on the Spotify homepage of everyone I know at the same time, just about a week before their debut EP was due to drop. The Los Angeles trip-pop duo are about 20 years too late to make a guest appearance on One Tree Hill alongside Michelle Branch, but that doesn't stop that from tapping into that hyper-specific sense of nostalgia.
After EP is what happens when the cool kids make bubblegum pop. Lyrically and melodically, standout track "Obvious" makes you wish you had a gut-wrenching crush, but its sugary sweetness is offset by icy drum machines. "Ever" could've been lifted straight out of an Evanescence pre-chorus, while "300 Dreams" would've been the perfect autoplay track for a MySpace page.
Even with the project's tunnel vision, the five songs are all strong enough to stand alone — both to people who look back fondly, and those desperate to trade in the smartphone they've always known for a hot pink Motorola Razr.