Six weeks after they released their self-titled debut EP for free through Bandcamp, nobody knows for sure who Guards are. Their vague Bandcamp page is their only web presence, and all a Google search for the group turns up are blog posts about their eponymous EP, of which there are plenty. Despite the dearth of information about the bandor perhaps in part because of itdozens of niche music bloggers fawned over the group.
In truth, Guards' origins aren't actually all that mysteriousmost likely they are an offshoot of Cults, the hyped but still largely unknown New York band that broke news of the EP through a tweet to their modest 700 or so followers on Twitterbut it's easy to see why so many bloggers took to the EP. Guards play the kind of retro summer-pop that's so in demand right now, only much better than most. Dark, psychedelic undercurrents run through these songs, with frosty organs that undercut the sunny harmonies, and big, aggressive choruses that erupt periodically. This isn't the work of some amateur whose just discovered the joys of reverb; there's some serious pop craftsmanship here.
A couple of choice songs are embedded below, but the whole EP is worth downloading.
