Alien Boy - Sleeping Lessons (Yellow Vinyl)

In a scene where abstruse lyrics and ironic detachment are all the rage, Alien Boy's high-stakes, brash pop is as refreshing as it is surprising. Lead singer and songwriter Sonia Weber communicates subdued desires and secret grievances in the grand tradition of emo and pop-punk and rock n roll in general making the Portland, OR bands infectious debut LP Sleeping Lessons is a collection of lullabies for the pop masochist. And like all great, emotional music, these ten dynamic songs are resonant because they're unmistakably human.Alien Boy takes it's name from a Wipers song, but elsewhere the groups PNW lineage is felt in a mordant grit gleaned from Team Dresch and early Heatmiser. It sets the tone for Weber to mix her deep-seated love of early 2000s generational touchstones with a Britpop frostiness to brilliant and totally unique results. From the tremolo dives and Stone Roses references on Ride-y opener Somewhere Without Me, to the sun-kissed, power-pop bliss of 600 Days. Webers melodies are so bright and effective it's easy to forget they come from a place of absolute emotional torment.