French Kicks

Describing a band’s sound as “minimalist” often implies a certain sense of hollowness and lack of heartbeat, something that would be unfair to tack onto New York-based band French Kicks. Though they ambled out the gate in 2002 with a debut that aped the restrained emotion of post-punk, the group has found its own way in the years since, as evidenced on 2008’s Swimming. On it, singers Josh Wise and Nick Stumpf trade off harmonies and cooing “oohs” with an almost Beach Boys upbeatness, but temper it all with hints of minor-chord melancholy.

Updated 04/08/2009