Headlights

Squinting at the high beams on the dark night of Polyviny’s latest sensation are ex-members of Absinthe Blind -- Erin Fein, Tristan Wraight, Seth Feign, and Brett Sanderson. This should raise the spirits of former fans, as the only missing member is Adam Fein. Carrying on in the same vein as the aforementioned, the Headlights (who formerly operated under the moniker The Orphans) are a delicate and serene indie-pop act. Slowly drifting down the paved road, “Tokyo” opens The Enemies EP on the frame of tender keyboards and gentle guitar and drums in a tale of finding home. The ride carries on the sonic highway with Erin and Tristan’s supple vocals coming together stunningly. “Centuries” would fit well on a Polyvinyl compilation between Mates of State and Volcano, I’m Still Excited!! with its poppy rhythm and endowed use of the keyboards. “It Isn’t Easy To Live That Well” gives Tristan the vocal spotlight as she peacefully stretches her gorgeous intonation across a toe-tapping drum beat with a slew of other musical entities chiming in at just the right time.

This four-song limited edition EP, only available through mail order, is quite a debut. Although all of the members have defined themselves in their past projects, their abilities are astonishing here. I am digging for a negative observation and the only obvious fault I can put my finger on is the length: it is too short – four tracks, fifteen minutes. I crave more from the gifted quartet; thankfully the repeat function on my iPod works perfectly.