Treaty of Paris

As soon as emo culture hit Hot Topic, indie music took a quick U-turn toward optimism. This onslaught of saccharine bands was enough to give anyone diabetes, but there were a few standouts — i.e. The Hush Sound, Jack's Mannequin, This Is Me Smiling and the newest success story, Chicago's Treaty of Paris. High-energy, smile-inducing and vocally driven by the endearing Mike Chorvat (take the clean resonance of Hot Rod Circuit's Andrew Jackson and mate it with Chris Carrabba's nasally vibrato; don't be scared, it's surprisingly delightful), Treaty of Paris pens the most infectious, toe-tapping songs this side of Fall Out Boy. But a true testament of Treaty's talent is how the quintet integrates elements of '60s nostalgia-pop into ambitious, unpredictable melodies; each song seems pleasantly familiar, yet unexpectedly innovative. How's that for optimism?