In the UK, the appeal of jangle pop has often lain in its rough-hewn execution, despite the pristine heights to which its practitioners aspire. Tune into the second alluring album by Alvvays, Toronto’s two-girl, two-boy jangle sensations, however, and – as with their most obvious predecessors, Best Coast – it’s like stepping into a parallel universe. All the cutie derivatives are present: punky perkiness (Your Type), blithe melodies, or odes to the Jesus & Mary Chain’s Jim Reid (Lollipop). But here too are ear-candy production values, and Kerri MacLellan’s bejewelled keyboards. Molly Rankin’s pipes are pure 60s pop on Not My Baby, and her songwriting wit sparkles throughout this nuanced break-up album.
