The Affair

Brooklyn's the Affair is a pop act, but you won't see them on TRL anytime soon. The kind of pop Kali Holloway (vocals, lyrics), Nelson Dellamaggiore (bass), Neel Arant (keyboards/guitar), Josh Leeman (lead guitar), and Marc Pattini (drums) stamp out is of the smart, hipster variety — the first label to notice them was the über-cool Vice, which released the act's first single, "Honey," in July 2004 as a 7" split with Hominid. Early reviews of the Affair, who hooked up with the U.K.-based label Marquis Cha Cha for the 2006 release of their single "Andy," have drawn comparisons to Blondie and Siouxsie Sioux with the odd Ronnie Spector-fronting-X thrown in, but such comparisons can be misleading. The band resists throwback qualities; though sharp jabs of punk and new wave poke through its scorched-around-the-edges pop veneer, a modern self-consciousness finds its way into most songs. The Affair played at 2006's SXSW and signed a deal with Absolutely Kosher Records soon after; their full-length debut, Yes Yes to You, then appeared in January 2007.