There’s pretty much only one utility to the seven song debut EP from Vancouver’s Young Liars: dancing. Taking their name presumably from the title of TV on the Radio’s Young Liars EP and their sound from Vampire Weekend’s “Giving Up the Gun”, the band has created an infectious blend of indie pop that reaches back to the glossy keyboard pop of the ‘80s while adding in propulsive rhythms: “Newton, Forgive Me” even uses the same drumsticks-on-drumsticks sound from Local Natives’ “Wide Eyes”.
If there was ever a kind of music to be played in clubs on retro-themed nights across the land, Young Liars have worked on providing the soundtrack. Think of their music as being an indie-friendly update of New Order, and you’d be traveling along the right path. Granted, Young Liars aren’t exactly forging a new blazing trail: a lot of stuff to be found on the Homesick Future EP has been heard elsewhere. Sweden’s the Bell mined a sort of similar sound on last year’s Great Heat album, and the Chain Gang of 1974 waded into similar waters on Wayward Fire in 2011, too. That means that Young Liars do feel a little late to the party. However, you probably won’t care too much whilst moving your feet around to this disc. The Homesick Future EP is toe-tappingly delightful, and the perfect sampler for those who, erm, just can’t get enough of a certain big, bad synth sound.