Kitsch II

When you hear the term “bedroom pop,” you might imagine timid singer/songwriter tunes or something hazy and ambient. Caroline Sans (known musically as Sur Back), however, creates a very different breed of pop tunes from her room. With only a few songs available, Sans has already proven to have a knack for drawing listeners in with a fully fleshed-out world of sound. These songs have an angular baroque pop feel and a vocal delivery reminiscent of early St. Vincent. Some might call it experimental, but a closer listen reveals the four songs on Kitsch II as fairly structured, with several prominent moving parts that the ear might not grip as a whole until after a few listens. There’s something quite visceral about these tunes, perhaps stemming from Sans’ background as a dancer. The lead single, “Valentino,” is the glossiest song on the EP, with bright synths, horns and percussive blips juxtaposing Sans’ undulating melody. Bedroom pop at its boldest and brightest.