Tough Age 
Tough Age (Mint)

You don’t have to possess an encyclopedic knowledge of obscure lo-fi and garage-rawk bands to appreciate where Tough Age is coming from, but it couldn’t hurt. If you’re a trainspotting type with a meticulously alphabetized library of 45s, you might be able to spot where the Vancouver foursome is paying tribute to Toy Love or the Townsmen. The rest of us will have to judge Tough Age (which includes alumni from Korean Gut and Collapsing Opposites) on its own merit.

The group’s self-titled debut LP, which comes out on Tuesday (November 12), has plenty to recommend it. Frontman Jarrett K. has a well-developed sense of melody, and he brings a pop sensibility to all the material here, which ranges from the acid-etched surf fuzz of “Sea of White” to the velvet-glove paisley swirl of “Sea Horse” and the crying-at-the-drive-in sock-hop bop of “The Heart of Juliet Jones”. Producer Jay Arner gives everything just the right amount of polish without sanding off too many of the rough edges.

If you’re a fan of neo-garage stylists like Ty Segall or White Fence—and especially if you can spot their influences—meet your new favourite local band.