Tigercity

To craft the slick disco-pop on Pretend Not To Love, it feels like Tigercity attended Quincy Jones' estate sale and bought the equipment he used to record Michael Jackson's early solo albums. The EP also takes unabashed cues from the playbooks of Prince and Hall & Oates, with the end result being some of the catchiest dance music performed by a live band this year. Pretend opens with a heartbeat-like bass drum pulse and synthesizer backdrop very reminiscent of Kim Carnes' hit "Bette Davis Eyes," while "Other Girls" — with its very BeeGees-esque falsetto — is definitely the sexiest (if not also the most captivating) pop song of the year. But if these songs had been released in 1981, these four gents from Northampton, Massachusetts, would no doubt be enormous pop stars. Be advised to catch this show in a small, sweaty club environment while you still can, because with its penchant for writing unbelievable smooth and infectious pop — and a fearless, unique approach to retro production techniques — Tigercity is likely to be a buzzing indie-favorite by next spring.