Passive Me, Aggressive You

New Zealand’s the Naked and Famous had a hit in their country in 2010 with this debut album and the single, “Young Blood,” which subsequently found its way to American television shows like “Gossip Girl,” “Covert Affairs,” and “Chuck.” The tune’s anthemic, psych-pop flavor (think MGMT) makes it an easy song to love: it’s uplifting, hooky and fun to sing along to. TN&F seem to produce potential hits with little effort: “All of This” has a great build, with tense, pulsating synths and breathy melancholy feeding each bouncy note; “Punching In a Dream” and “Eyes” are all crackling synths and dance-floor heartbeats. Beyond pop-hit sweets, the band explores electronic textures, both hazy and heavy (“The Ends,” “The Source,” “Jilted Lovers”), darker moods (“The Sun,” a sleeper track), and throws down occasional heavy guitar riffage, as if to say, We are more than that (“Spank,” “A Wolf In Geek’s Clothing,” both very effective). Passive Me is weighted with more substance than one might assume at first glance; spending time with this impressive debut unveils a record offering more than the obvious pop thrills, yummy and irresistible as they are.