Few Milwaukee bands in recent years have been more dependable than NO/NO, who over several EPs and one knockout full length have continually found stylish new ways to update Pretty in Pink-era pop sensibilities for the smartphone age. Even given their track record, though, you could be forgiven for thinking, at first glance, that the group’s new Twentysomethings EP sounds like an absolutely horrible idea. Perhaps we’re still feeling exhausted from the lead-brick “commentary” of Arcade Fire’s last album Everything Now, but a concept EP about millennials is pretty much one of the last things anybody wants to hear from any band, especially one like NO/NO, whose whole Friday night at Mad Planet aesthetic is so winning in part because it doesn’t depend on those kind of cheap hooks.
But unlike Arcade Fire, the Milwaukee quartet—aided here by producer Dashcam, who lends an additional layer of lushness to these tracks—understand that not every song needs to be a value judgement, and singers Cat Ries and Harrison Colby are more interested in exploring the sometimes thorny politics of interpersonal relationships than they are making broad assertions about the modern age. What a relief it is that instead of knocking today’s youth for their fear of missing out, they’ve written ones that acknowledge that it really does suck to miss out. “S.M.S.” captures the addictive pull of our cell phones, while party-hopping closer “G.P.S.” nails the impulse to constantly chase the next thrill, never being satisfied with the one you have.
Watching the quartet play that last one for an amused crowd of all ages at the Bay View Bash last month was one of the highlights of the festival, and the studio version retains the same sardonic glee. It’s one of the NO/NO’s catchiest tracks yet, a superlative that grows more meaningful by the year.
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You can stream the EP below, via Bandcamp, and catch NO/NO at their release show Friday, Oct. 20 at Linneman’s Riverwest Inn with Zed Kenzo, Dashcam and Dirty Dancing.
