Civilian

Cheeky British journos have likened Boy Kill Boy's sound to the Smiths splitting disco biscuits with Hard-Fi, and they're pretty much right. This is a retro band with allegiances to the '80s so rock-solid you half suspect that on their off hours, members Chris Peck (lead vocals, guitar), Kevin Chase (bass), Pete Carr (key-boards), and Shaz (drums) sit around the computer swapping e-mails with the guys from Depeche Mode. The Psychedelic Furs, with whom they have toured, make for a snug sonic fit. But as debut disc Civilian proves, the U.K. quartet's time has come, deja vu spells or no: opener "Back Again" dishes up a gorgeous dollop of gloom courtesy of Peck's pretty vocals against racing guitars and a brink-of-chaos vibe; "On and On" continues the onslaught of desperation with almost Duran Duran-like mock seriousness and punk guitar; and third track "Suzie" is plain old infectious, brilliant British pop, the kind that, should the folks at Fuse or MTV get a hold of it, could single-handedly spawn a new generation of music-television junkies (ditto for "On My Own"). For all its sleeve-worn '80s influences, there's a touch of angsty, My Chemical Romance-type post-punk to Civilian that delivers it smack-dab in the middle of 2006. Tracks like "Six Minutes" are better off for it, and so is the band overall. Boy Kill Boy, based on the lingering head-buzz this debut so unsparingly brings on, is headed for the big time.