The New Record by My Bloody Valentine is a great step forward for the band, who previously performed derivative post-punk that imitated The Birthday Party and The Cramps.

On this EP, the band moves a bit closer towards their recognizable noise pop and shoegaze sound. But they’re still not quite there yet. There’s an undercurrent of guitar noise in each of these jangling pop tunes, but it isn’t the focus, and the songs are quite tame.

This is an accessible indie pop EP with upbeat lyrics and vocals by the band’s original singer, Dave Conway. He finally drops the faux-Morrison accent he had on This Is Your Bloody Valentine and Geek! for something lighter-toned. The guitar work isn’t innovative either, but it is catchy. The lyrics are cute and twee rather than odd or disturbing, but they are developed and somewhat evocative.

My Bloody Valentine would continue this fuzzy jangle pop style on their follow-up EP, Sunny Sundae Smile, and would improve it with faster guitar work, amusing lyrics, better production and just flat-out superior songwriting before moving onto dream pop, and eventually, shoegaze. Overall, this is a catchy lo-fi jangle/noise pop EP, but far from the band’s better work. It’s mostly a curious piece of history that, while entertaining, isn’t too interesting.