Business

With seemingly every other high school kid in the 2000s starting a band around four chords, tight jeans, and a kickass MySpace profile, it's nothing sort of refreshing to stumble upon a young band who actually sounds like they're making music for the pure fun of it -- and not just going through the required motions. Sounding vaguely like a more rock-oriented version of the Matches mixed with occasional '60s pop flourishes, the enthusiastic guys of Jet Lag Gemini are a rare find in the overcrowded Jersey music scene. Their confident debut EP, Business, boisterously rocks out among seriously catchy hooks, exuberant melodies, walloping beats, and super-charged leads that cut through songs with a reckless energy all their own. "Geared for Action" tightly crunches around lead rocker Misha Safonov as he repetitively proclaims, "You're one of us now," in a borderline taunt; "Ready, Set, No" is sheer fun with the band's charming swagger permeating vocal harmonies, finger snaps, and hard-punching rhythms at times reminiscent of Green Day. So while Jet Lag Gemini may superficially appear no different than many of their contemporaries, they have a genuine vigor and charismatic appeal that most every other band on the scene could stand to take notes on. Sure, there's still plenty of room to grow -- Jet Lag's median age is barely 18, after all -- but Business is a very promising debut and an excellent place to start.