Cut City

This four-song EP came out virtually unnoticed in late May, a testament to the music industry’s overpopulation. Unlike many Gothenburg, Sweden, exports, Cut City is anything but an At the Gates rip-off. From the bass-driven “Postcard,” with its 16th-note disco beat, to the brisk, fantastic “Blank Calls,” this effort dares you to categorize it. Imagine the early works of the Fall colliding with Sub Pop-era Rapture, and you’re getting close. Guitarist and lead vocalist Max Hansson recalls early Joy Division in one breath and angular ’80s U.S. pop in the next. The rhythm section—Oskar Andersson on bass and David Hagberg on drums—weaves an intricate spell, with the players bouncing off one another as if in defiance of the downbeat. The Interpol-worshipping masses finally have something cooler to buy. Visit www.goldstandardlabs.com for samples if you don’t trust your intuition.