Transmittens

Danny Rowland and Jen Weidl of Transmittens possess the power of perfect pop. We Disappear, the Lawrence duo’s second release on England’s WeePOP! Records in less than a year, delivers 10 more catchy twee-pop tunes. Rowland and Weidl have mastered the craft of pairing playfulness with pathos, even when singing about goofy subjects (unicorns, dinosaurs, hot-dog suits, etc.). We Disappear contains a handful of upbeat, playful synth jams — the kind that Transmittens has been perfecting over the past two years — and nearly half the songs demonstrate a sylistic shift toward a more subtle brand of pop hearkening back to the early ’90s. There are guitar-heavy songs, and “Blue Whale” finds the group abandoning its trusty drum machine in favor of live snare and floor tom — Weidl’s distorted vocals and Rowland’s reverbed guitars turn the song into a sunnier version of a Jesus and Mary Chain track. We Disappear feels a little more sloppy than the debut, Our Dreams, but this adorable duo unfailingly churns out melodies that can send the most hardened music snob into a giddy fit.