Stuck in the Never Ending Now

After a handful of singles and an album that staked out a claim for Strawberry Whiplash as first-rate practitioners of solid, fun, and pleasantly tuneful indie pop, the duo of Laz and Sandra return with another fine example of their trade. Stuck in the Never Ending Now is packed from top to bottom with sprightly, energetic indie pop nuggets that will brighten turntables and maybe even get some feet moving, mixed with a handful of midtempo tracks that bring down the mood but not the energy level. As before, the division of labor within the duo breaks down to Laz on music and Sandra on vocals, and both of them do a fine job. Though he keeps things simple, Laz is good at making himself sound like a real band, and Sandra's oft-deadpan tones lend themselves well to the tales of love, broken and fixed. Like their previous work, the album breaks no new ground and delivers no surprises. Instead, as before, the duo delivers really good noisy indie pop that will make fans of said style happy with its familiar sound and skilled presentation, and that's just fine.