The Still

Maybe you remember the short-lived DC band the Ropers, featuring singer Doug Bailey, drummer Alex Hacker and bassist Greg Pavlovcak? The three of them have been reincarnated as the Still, and their debut on the newly formed pulCec label is a stellar blast of classic pop. These 11 concise tracks of insanely catchy rock'n'roll riffage are delivered with crisp swelling guitars augmented by sweet synth, melodic bass and driving rhythms. Not afraid to rock out, the songs explode with a precision impact that should be partially credited to the production work of Trevor Kampmann, aka hollAnd, proprietor of the pulCec label. Think of the Still as a cross between '70s Big Star, '80s Undertones and '90s Sloan to get a feeling for where these glorious hooks are going.