Hospitality (Bonus Track Version)

With its eponymous debut album, the Brooklyn, N.Y., trio Hospitality succeeds in building a new sound from templates laid down in the '90s. The sprightly rhythms and guitar strumming of “Eighth Avenue” recall indie bands like Heavenly, Camera Obscura, and Tiger Trap, but singer Amber Papini’s sophisticated phrasing and unique vocal timbre keep the song sounding fresh. The standout tune “Friends of Friends” reworks twee pop by forging slightly harder seams around the edges while flirting with proggy arrangements and New York–flavored sax lines. Other adoring references to the Big Apple pepper the album, including the peppy “Betty Wang” (a contagiously catchy tribute to one of Papini’s former coworkers) and the witty “Liberal Arts,” where Papini touches on the post-collegiate aimlessness of the Williamsburg stereotype. The mellower side of Hospitality blossoms and blushes in wistful gems like “Julie” and “Sleepover.” The bonus tracks offer different versions of three songs.