“Designing a Nervous Breakdown”

The Anniversary

Heroes & Villains

Pouring out of the suburbs of Kansas City, Mo., the post-punk video game indie pop explosion known as The Anniversary has fired off an impressive debut.

Melancholy in tone but optimistic in message, “Designing a Nervous Breakdown” is a clever combination of influences all clearly hanging out in the wind.

Packed with fuzzy guitars, vocal harmonies, Moog keyboards and synth-pop drum beats, the band’s sound can be picked apart and broken down into simple elements.

It falls somewhere between the ’80s new wave of Devo and Gary Numan, the indie spirit of Built to Spill and the powerful brand of emotional hardcore made famous by Fugazi.

The bright and cheerful “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter” kick starts the record, one of few songs to maintain an upbeat feel throughout its entirety.

Combining synthetic percussion and keyboard sampling with the traditional power rock trio of guitar, bass and drums “Designing a Nervous Breakdown” takes uniqueness and runs with it.

The gorgeously tranquil “Shu Shubat” gets interrupted mid-song by a wall of distortion, venting out a flood of concealed and anticipated rage.

“Hart Crane” calls to mind the same simplistic drum scheme found on typical ’80s recordings by The Cure and The Jesus and Mary Chain.

Male and female vocals are frequently traded off throughout each track, particularly on the whispery “Till We Earned a Holiday.”

As the first band to sign to The Get Up Kids’ Heroes & Villains label, The Anniversary get the privilege of having a more experienced band take them under its wings. They head to Europe later this spring, opening for The Get Up Kids with hopes of expanding their fan base.

Independent music is experiencing something of a musical renaissance these days, and “Designing a Nervous Breakdown” proves that Midwest bands can be just as groundbreaking as the holier-than-thou hipsters on the coasts.

4 Stars