The first time that Bluesbunny listened to this EP from Japanese band Spookey, he was not user if he should take it seriously. The sound verges on classic Ramones era punk but the songs, and indeed the vocals, are pure pop. It also has a Christmas song.
"Cheeky Girl" is as near to a perfect pop song as we have heard this year. You've got the Marky Ramone style drumming powering the song along but then you get this "Hey, hey" sing-along chorus. Catchy and irresistible. Barely pausing for breath, the band power straight into "Bad Day". The lyrics for this one are mostly in Japanese but they appear to be about having one of those days when everything goes wrong. Except for this song, of course, which gets everything right. Not entirely sure what to make of I ♥ B as it would seem to be a song about the delights of Brighton Beach but nonetheless you will be singing along in no time. It ends on a surreal note with "Fancy Christmas" - one of the strangest Christmas songs we have heard - but it is only October after all. There is still plenty of time left for festive insanity.
After only a few plays, Bluesbunny came to the conclusion that he loved this EP. It is well performed and the songs are irritatingly catchy. You just can't help yourself as it is downright uplifting. Great stuff!