If you listen to enough music, eventually you develop preferences that determine what you’ll listen to in the future. Furthermore, if you listen to this music based on those preferences, you’ll eventually need a change of pace.

One such change of pace recently arrived at the Seahawk offices in the form of The Fashion Briade’s “EP01.”

The first thing that I noticed about the CD was that it sounded remarkably clean, especially considering that the band released it themselves, without any backing from a record label. The production is just about at the perfect level where it sounds like there was a lot of effort put into it, but at the same time, it’s not so overdone it sounds like a Celine Dion record.

Upon the first listen, the music sounds like it would be completely at home on a label like Dischord; a subtle blend of punk and dance that fully condones groups of people dancing like no one is watching. The first two songs, “Between Short Breaths” and “Inhaling Fumes” spark your interest so you’re sure to be paying attention for “Center City,” the EP’s highlight, which is followed by “Mechanical Bandits,” a synthesizer-spiked instrumental that closes the record on a different note.

These four songs are a melting pot of all kinds of music: there’s a little bit of a dance feel, a little bit of punk rock and a dash of new wave. The end result is an energetic mix that is familiar enough so that newcomers aren’t scared away, but at the same time stays fresh and original.

I can’t see why anyone who is reveling in the recent popularity of bands like The Killers wouldn’t enjoy these guys. In a world where everyone loves to idoloize the 80’s, The Fashion Brigade are going to be very successful.