The Airborne Toxic Event’s debut EP compliments summer daze like Super Soakers and Mister Softee ice cream cones, sparking the nostalgia of endless nights getting smashed and making out on your bff’s backyard lawn chairs, the alluring repetitions of “oh no, no, no” from the pert song “The Girls in Their Summer Dresses” playing in the background. Classic Britpop guitar swirls and contagious sing-along lyrics, sprinkled liberally with lighthearted SoCal slacker cool, have garnered the band a rapidly growing LA following and comparisons to the likes of The Smiths. While this might seem a tad premature, the five-piece outfit’s lead singer Mikel Jollet’s Morrissey-like vocals are undeniable (especially in “Girls in Their Summer Dresses”). The vigorous instrumentals of their first single “Does This Mean You’re Moving On?” makes stalking an ex sound so appealing, I confess to calling my own ex-boyfriend three times last night after incessant playback of the song (mixed with a few shots of tequila). Meanwhile, my least favorite track on the 3-song EP, “Wishing Well” reminds me of a likely closing song for a My So Called Life season finale. Picture Claire Danes clumsily chasing after Jared Leto, who’s probably faded and dry-humping some tattooed ex-cheerleader slut behind the football bleachers; in the background you hear the lyrics “you tear out your hair and you scratch at your skin/ you wanna run away/ run away/ just get on the fucking train and leave today.” Teenager TV dramas aside, Airborne Toxic Event is a fun new band (less than 6 months old) with a viral energy and timeliness that’s bound to have their hipster fan club on the rise, at least for a little while.
