The Populars — Five EP

This aptly titled five-song EP from Prescott, ON’s, The Populars is straight-up garage rock, but unfortunately, it doesn’t stand out among the legions of similar-sounding indie acts. The whiny groans of "Show Me a Sign" are borderline intolerable, even after they give way for a Sloan-sounding chorus. And although I'm sure there's some bigger meaning behind a song like "You Took My Ball Away," it didn't exactly encourage any deep thinking. Thankfully, closing tune "Everything You Are" is a melancholy, apathy-dripping number that almost redeems the entire thing. It's nothing spectacular, but you get the impression that this trio is more at home onstage than they are in the studio.