House Plants are a four-piece from South London with a different angle on surf rock. The four-piece’s EP, Fluffy Tales, is their first overall collection of songs, while being the second for the Internet radio show turned record label Fresh Juice. Notably, the record was mixed by Adam Lasus, who has worked with bands like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! and Yo La Tengo.

Like their fellow U.K. contemporary, Beach Baby, House Plants’ nostalgic sound harks back to the neon-lit aesthetics of the synth-heavy 80’s (see Miami Vice or Beverly Hills Cop soundtracks to see what I’m babbling about).

The power-riff opener “Aeroplane” chugs with lively melodies and deadpan lead vocals in the style of a lounge singer stricken with indifference, sort of like Baby Dayliner.  A nod to the Beach Boys’ oddball single “Kokomo,” “Romantic Lights” adopts swaying tropic harmonics that backup frustrated lines of “get out of my head / I’m so in love”. The were-rabbit centric title track “Fluffy Tales” mixes it up with a slow doo-wop about longing for the adventurous life, eventually quickening the pace into a sprinting pop number. The final track, “Under The Moon” prompts for a hazy sing-a-long with an anthem-like chorus of “tilapia swim under the moon,” as the buoyant instrumentation and ditsy synths make for sporty pop music.

https://soundcloud.com/house-plants/sets/fluffy-tales

Cereal Pairing: Cupcake Pebbles