Artist: Radium Wild

Artist: Radium Wild

Link: https://www.facebook.com/RadiumWild

There are slow-developing songs that are nonetheless memorable for their eventual hooks – even in the pop genre. Corinne Bailey Rae (“Put Your Records On”), Colbie Caillat (“Bubbly”) and Sara Bareilles (“Love Song”) come to mind.

And then there's Radium Wild, whose indie pop gems are immediately catchy as they merrily bounce along – from the opening bar. In this, Radium Wild joins the pop pantheon previously populated by Feist (“1234”), Amy Winehouse (“Rehab”), Ingrid Michaelson (“Be OK”), and Lily Allen (“LDN”).

(Someone like KT Tunstall found success with both: immediately catchy with “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree”; eventually memorable with “Suddenly I See.”)

Radium Wild's infectiously bouncy song-craft features playfully percussive piano, drums and acoustic strums, with colorful horns minimally employed to maximum effect. (The piano is prominent and uniformly proficient.) And as an added plus, Radium Wild's self-titled EP comes replete with compelling concepts, such as the release-form-as-break-up metaphor (“Release Form”).

There is a notable barrier when it comes to entering the upper strata of indie popdom. Mandatory is the appealing vocal lead, and Radium Wild is well-served by Lindsey Aufricht. Aufricht's vocal is strong and clear, and strikingly soulful. Simply put, she delivers on the promise of the genre. Indeed, Aufricht rises above even her fiercest competition (the above artists) when she shows she can also shade to Adele on the slow-burning “Remember When.”

It took Camera Obscura over a decade to find truly memorable melody (“French Navy”). With Radium Wild, it's taken a fraction of the time to shine. (In fact, this is their debut.) And as Emeli Sande has recently shown (with last year's “Next to Me”), this music, popular for a reason, isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

*** The author of this review, Keith Cox, plays the dhaa for the following band: http://youtu.be/tMS73-1kCr8