You had to know it was only a matter of time before some New Yorkers popped in to throw a monkey in the nu-rave wrench.

Armed with ELO-sounding two-note vocal hooks, Mindless Self Indulgence-tight pre-fab synth lines and just enough old-guard rave traditionalism, Shy Child answers the question “Cripes already, isn’t there something more coherent in the indie keytar world than Hot Chip and Justice?” with a resounding “you’re soaking in it.” Like Daft Punk without the vocoder or Devo without the joke-band trappings, this duo is fantastically prepped for the not-too-distant love affair radio’s about to have with cop whistles, vacuum-cleaner sirens and dial tones, but what’ll have the glo-stick kids spazzing in the aisles is the band’s big-league song structures and stubbornly melodic stick-to-it-iveness.

A recent tour with Hot Chip taught them the value of maintaining an exuberant interest in what they do, but this is no smiley-dumb disco, it’s a space station.

By Eric Saeger

Homepage: Shy Child
Homepage: Kill Rock Stars Records