Sitcom Neighbor – Shag

When things get dull, in walks Kramer to give us 3:30 seconds of relief from a medium that otherwise takes itself entirely too seriously. Whether we admit it or not, this is really what we crave. The rest of the half hour is filler.

And so it is with Sitcom Neighbor’s Shag. Aptly named, they deliver on this implicit promise. All substance, No filler, just 3 minute bursts of pure pop entertainment. Sitcom Neighbor is John Murphy and Steve Refling and Shag is impossibly good.

The Beatle-sque “Tourist Attraction” starts things off quite nicely with a chorus that is about as catchy as anything I’ve heard thus far this year. Similar can be said for “Lucky Day”. Ditto “Pimpmobile” although it has more of a “White Album” feel to it.

The unforgettable bounce of “Your Turn Next” will keep you fully engaged. XTC fans will really dig “Insomnia” and “Anything”, a couple of out-of-the-box winners with vocal twists reminiscent of Andy Partidge. “Let Me Be Your Man” sounds like an 80’s radio hit and has Spongetones written all over it. I thought it was my favorite track until I heard the mid-tempo, lyrically brilliant “No One Really Knows”.

While influences are apparent, this record is anything but derivative. Easily one of the year’s best power pop albums, go get Sitcom Neighbor Shag at Apple Music and CD Baby.