Settly & the Disappointments: Part of a Moment (Independent)

Settly and the Disappointments, Part of a Moment, album cover

My eyes went up when I saw this band’s bio namechecks Glenn Tilbrook and Peter Holsapple, to these ears two of pop songwriting’s all-stars (frontman Settly has done production work with both; he’s also been in the bands Raw Youth and Multiple Places). Sure enough this three-track EP is classic model power pop. No new wrinkles but that’s not really the point; killer hooks and resonant lyrics are. Two of the three tracks here are winners: The title track made me think of Tommy Keene’s wonderful “Places That Are Gone,” both for the subject matter (“This is all part of a moment/That we’ll never get back”) and for the mix of joyful hook/jangly guitar with sense of regret. On the other hand, “Crush Alert” is boppy and fun, something Dwight Twilley might have done in younger days. The purposely silly and Beatles-referencing lyric (“Going once, going twice, better not be so cold as ice”) suits the giddy mood. Third track “Anesthesea” isn’t bad, but seems to be building to a chorus that never comes. Would be glad to hear more from these folks.