Looking for a good time? You won’t go wrong giving a spin to Strange Neighbors second long-player People Pleasers Pleasing People. New York City’s premier sardonic popsters deliver ten new tunes full of whimsy, social critique, and killer hooks. And a bit of heartbreak. The trio of pre-release singles that came out over the past year captured this melange of moods nicely. “Influencer” is a merciless takedown of the onslaught of online narcissism being dressed up as a career choice. And you can even dance to it. “Without a Head” and “Hate Me Less” are more self-reflexively about coping with love lost. If it feels good to feed bad then these tune will have you feeling great.  Stepping back to take in the album as a whole, it’s hard to put my finger on just what kind of sound is going on here. Reviewers tend to refer to a general 1990s alt/indie vibe but what I hear is both more light and dark. Opening track “Crush” is fun and poppy, like the Go Go’s running at half-speed. Jangle is definitely a key element in a lot of songs, setting the scene for tracks like “Retrograde,” “Whenever We Fall” and more subtly on “You Got Love.” When you combine that with Aiden Strange’s distinctive vocal attack I sometimes feel it’s as if Debbie Harry had joined REM. Check out how it all comes together on the magisterial jangle fest that is “Beer at the Bar.” Other highlights here for me include “Silk and Cyanide” with its edgy guitar tone and the country hoedown stomper “Your Last.” The latter’s Bakersfield-sound country-snap guitar work is positively delicious.

I can confidently say that People Pleasers Pleasing People is heading right on to my ‘best of the year’ pile. Get your copy at the band’s Bandcamp page and let the pleasing begin.