Like politicians and pop punks, this Canadian duo know the key to effective communication: Invent a slickly catchy phrase and shout it often. Almost every track title on their debut full-length doubles as both a slogan and a chorus, from the rumbling, rollicking opener “The Boys Are Leaving Town” to the grinding, metallic closer “I Quit Girls.” Japandroids have a point of view (young, male, infatuated with the promise of the present) and an M.O. (excellently fuzzed-out garage rock played as if at the apocalypse), but more impressively, they’ve mastered another secret to swaying the public: confidence without smugness.
Watch: Japandroids, Live in Vancouver:
