Vectralux

We open on a wide shot of a college campus. A fly over shot swoops over cars driving past the quad, quick pan to a trio of attractive ladies carrying their books to the next class, the lens catches a football mid-air as it finds its receiver, another quick pan clocks the arts students on the stoop smoking cigarettes. One final push lands us through the big double doors. And what music is playing through the scene-setting intro? Vectralux.

The Atlanta-based quartet led by frontman/guitarist Hannibal Heredia and bassist/producer Andy Tegethoff plays that jangly brand of indie pop that is replete with that early-twenties energy of discovery, coming to terms with responsibility and finding yourself via your fumbling relationships. The band has the steady rock formula down but with keyboardist Dan Barker chiming in with some interesting textures beyond the standard chords, the music is elevated beyond the stereotypes of the genre. Their full-length debut Each Morning and the Morning After has an infectious groove with wisdom-laced observational lyrics over intelligently crafted chord structures and bouncing beats.

A hop, skip, and a jump are matched to rhythmic guitars and lightly reflective piano on the opener 'Hey!'. The chorus trades off vocals between Heredia and Tegethoff to a half time scored by horns. Jubilant synths and tastefully harmonized vocals lift 'Hidden Days' to an 80s tinged, starry-eyed pitch. 'Almost Whenever Now' embraces a different kind of high portmento 80s synth and big fuzzy bass. The happy hand claps make for a punchy two-minute earworm.

Songs with titles like 'Patagonia Kids' and 'Who Can Figure out Such Devices?' explore the bizarre societal facets of the modern age with the latter trading the indie pop aesthetic for something a bit more expansive and psychedelic. Drummer Kelly Shane channels the tom-led 60s Pink Floyd wihile Barker's organ melds well with the guitarist's swirling effects. 'Unwilling Stars (Right About Now)' has all the markers of a classic 90s alt hit with a hopelessly catchy chorus over ascending chords.

The crew have one more trick up their sleeve before they say goodnight. 'With Grace (I Walk In)' begins innocently enough with a similar happy-go-lucky cadence to earlier tracks. A perfectly good three-minute track ends with a ring out...but there's more to come. An “electric accordion” synth carris the tune as the guitar and bass intertwine and build to an extended na-na-na outro. The willingness to push well beyond the three-minute mark to a seven-minute play out gives the album and extra dimension and gives the musicians a chance to show the quality of their playing taste.

Each Morning and the Morning After has the feel of a college rock record with wisdom and skill beyond those years of naivete. Catchy, thoughtful and uplifting indie pop. The protagonist of the movie will really have learned a lot about himself by the end of this movie.