Weekends Away

Math and Physics Club are five very sweet and gentle kids from Seattle playing indie pop the likes of which would have sounded right at home on a Rough Trade Indiepop collection. Equally influenced by the lovelorn sounds of Sarah Records bands like Brighter and the laid-back romanticism of Aussie bands like the Lucksmiths and the Go-Betweens, the band's first EP is a four-track gem that manages to escape any charges of imitation by delivering very strong songs loaded with tender emotion and easygoing charm. The band plays it very straight throughout, with loads of jangle and some lovely violin from Saundrah Humphrey. The only downside to the record (and band) is vocalist Charles Bert's tendency to lapse into Morrissey territory from time to time. Still, Weekends Away is a very nice debut from a very nice band, and nice isn't a bad thing to be.