Nancy Pants - Total Nancy Pants

Nancy Pants are a fuzzy pop band from Montreal. If you thought that name and description implied half an hour or so of imminent fun and sometimes silly times, then you were quite correct. There is simplicity and an immediacy to their songs and style that can make it easy to overlook the craft of the songwriting on their promising first record, Total Nancy Pants. This is a record that grabs your attention from the get-go and one that makes sure it doesn't lose you.
 
Nancy Pants waste no time letting you know what you're in for with the first track "Happy", which sets the stage for jumpy and rollicking tone of the rest of the album. The record sits nicely aside garage pop records by Ex Hex, Parlovr (Jeremy McCuish from Parlovr sits on drums for Nancy Pants), and Sleater-Kinney. Total Nancy Pants avoids the trap of same-ness that can often slow down guitar-driven records thanks to a diverse use of guitars across the record, like the jangly "Just a Little More", a pleasant and sweet highlight. The record keeps the consistency going with stand-out tracks like "Apple", and especially "Halley's Comet", where gorgeous guitars jangle around intertwining vocals and harmonies.  
 
With a diverse and attention-grabbing aptitude toward songwriting, Total Nancy Pants is a very promising debut. Overall, this is undoubtedly a Montreal record from a distinctly Montreal band, and I mean this in the best way possible.
 
Best for: When the furnace in your apartment is broken and the room feels like an ice box, put this record on for memories of summer and good times from days past.
 
Rating: 4/5

Total Nancy Pants is available digitally and on tape as of November 20.

--Kenny Chatoor is former CJLO radio DJ and magazine contributor currently living in Ontario, "Yeah things are good, there is definitely nothing like CJLO in Toronto though, which is a bummer."