US English

Catchy and intelligent, the St. Louis based pop duo US English are one of my my personal favorites among the catch of this month, with their debut EP What Frontier (due October 12 via the quite so lovely Post Literate) just waiting to take its audience with storm. The EP is the first release out of in total three EP's, finally forming the debut album Modular later this year.

Even with such a unique and peculiar sound, there is still something familiar about US English that I can't specifically point out - that not being said in a negative way, however. By mixing pop, electronica and elements of lo-fi together with glitchy, opera-like vocals, the husband-wife duo makes this unique mix into an own, recognizable "trademark" for their music; indeed being very successful. - No Fear of Pop

There’s palpable love of arrangement throughout What Frontier that’s the likely result of their interest in opera vocal performance and avant-garde classical composers. That might all sound all together complex but rest assured there are some straight up jams on this record. If you’re a fan of electronic music that’s not only well-written and highly addictive, but also provides some fascinating social commentary, then this is probably going to be your favorite record for some time. It sounds good, doesn’t it? Trust me: It is. - MOTH

The husband-wife duo of James and Brea McAnally books live bands and art installations at the Luminary Center for the Arts and curated this summer's Post Performances series at the Old Post Office Plaza. But with US English (formerly known as the Mirror Stage), the McAnallys put their own estimable talents on display in the form of found-sound samples, glitchy drumbeats and inventive, evocative vocal interplay.

The four-song What Frontier is the first in a planned series of three EPs from the duo. It conveys a worried tone even amid hand claps and Postal Service-like keyboards. James takes the opening title track, his vocals coming through a collage of clanging anvils, radio static and his wife's chopped-and-screwed vocals. "Headlines like clouds/Come quickly, help, come now," he sings, and his dread is both global in scope and local in execution, with its references to suburban ennui and malaise. The EP-closing "News!" adds a coda to this millennial fear, with synth-brass fanfare and clicky drum-machine beats harkening news of body counts and the post-apocalypse (which is either on our doorstep or already here, depending on how you interpret the lyrics). The EP's best moments juxtapose the couple's vocals with traditional harmonies and a remixer's scalpel. On "Miser," Brea's voice sways from operatic to soulful as the song builds on Atari-like drum bursts and square-wave synths; it builds toward the collection's prettiest and most hopeful moment.

Your enjoyment of What Frontier may depend on how many times you've spun Arcade Fire's The Suburbs, but US English's aim is less about waking up "the kids" and more about hastening personal awakenings and quelling internal turmoil. - Village Voice