Translating emotion through brimming exuberance is not an easy task. Baroque pop outfit Wartime Recitals aren’t really up for this challenge, but only because it already comes so natural to them. The incredibly mirthful sextet write fun-loving, piano-driven tunes that are sharp and tuneful, carefully tailored and encompassed with an elated grin even when they find the need to pound a somber minor key. Seeing as they’re an ensemble of many moods, their rippling harmonies front-and-center, there’s a necessity to function in perfect synchronicity through those highs and lows. The equivalent of a seasoned handbell school band, there’s hardly a false note in their impenetrable, mainly classicist approach. Those gleeful voices are what elevate each of the six tracks in their self-titled debut EP – comparisons to AC Newman and the New Pornographers will be inevitable, since their vigorous search for that pitch-perfect, glistening pop song is handled with a precision that’s meticulous and passionate. But they convey that jubilance with a very personal touch, coming together with a driving force that bursts with life even they sing that sad song.
Wartime Recitals are playing at dba 256 Gallery & Wine Bar on Friday, June 13.