COOTIE CATCHER - SOMETHING WE ALL GOT (CLEAR VINYL LTD)

As indulgent as it is to kick your record off with a 90-second noise montage, for example, the warm, cozy production counterbalanced the chaos. Their new record, S.W.A.G., was recorded just months after the basement sessions that produced Shy at First, but it marks a shift toward more polished fare. With the crisper fidelity of studio recording comes music that’s more direct and guitar-oriented. They still have a taste for kitschy stock drum sounds and high-frequency synth trills, but they take fewer detours. This souped-up version of cootie catcher is sometimes reminiscent of the wistful power pop of new Carpark labelmates the Beths: breezy enough that the hooks surprise with their weight.