english singles: backstreet pages

Coming out of Sacramento’s excellent underground punk / pop scene, English Singles is helmed by Scott Miller, erstwhile member of such greats as The Bananas, Ski Instructors, Bright Ideas, Nar and many others. With a rich knowledge of punk and DIY pop history, Miller steeps his great, ragged tunes in the Television Personalities / McTells / Cause Co-Motion! tradition. English Singles is the latest of Miller’s bands and might be his best yet. Backstreet Pages is their first release and it’s nothing short of a master class in DIY pop. Twelve-string-infused tunes like “Grey Skies USA” and “Winter” wouldn’t sound out of place on an early Creation Records compilation, and “Daydream” sports a super sing-along melody. The EP wraps up with live favorite “Finer Points,” which has been rather aptly described as a cross between Buzzcocks and Razorcuts. Backstreet Pages is exactly the kind of record that the 7-inch was invented for: immediate, scrappy pop that will sit snugly next to those well-worn Comet Gain and Pastels singles in your collection.