Clad in goth black and liberally mascara’d, this New York five-piece couldn’t be more of-the-moment if they tried. However, it’s one thing to imagine a meld of the Strokes and the Killers, and quite another to pull off this seamless alliance of pretty synth melody and fierce guitar lines, and lace your debut album with at least seven simple, unignorable pop songs. Singer Sam Endicott’s Morrissey glower and lazy Julian Casablancas pipes speak of the pain of being different from all the other boys (“The best time I ever had—waiting around for something bad”), the song titles (“Tyrant,” “Swollen Summer”) hint at taboo horseplay and the chilly, urgent music steals your lunch money. This is dramatic, radio-loving rock primed to outlive the current I ™ the ’80s infatuation.

DOWNLOAD: “An Honest Mistake,” “Give In,” “PSA”