Hospitality

It seems silly to call a group's singer their "secret weapon," but in the case of Brooklyn's Hospitality, there's no better way to describe Amber Papini. On the band's self-titled 2008 EP, her winning presence helps the Hospitality's ramshackle pop tunes—with their heartening musical whimsy and no-frills production (courtesy of K Records stalwart Karl Blau)—maintain their position on the "charming" side of the ledger. To find a vocal presence as effortlessly affable as Papini's, you'd have to cross the Atlantic, where this kind of charismatic yet non-flamboyant frontwoman seemingly abounds. Foe examples, see Camera Obscura's Tracyanne Campbell, Saint Etienne's Sarah Cracknell and The Delgados' Emma Pollock.

What makes Papini so remarkable is her equally adept way with words. On tracks like "Betty Wang" and "Argonauts," she makes New York City—the inspiration for unending pages of over-considered lyrics concerning its unparalleled grandeur and depressing squallr—sound like a place filled with actual flesh-and-blood people, not idealized characters. It's no wonder, then, that Hospitality's debut earned the group some deserved praise from in-the-know places like Pitchfork and Stereogum. The only surprising thing is that, instead of striking while the iron was hot and immediately capitalizing on this good press, they've taken their time, occasionally playing out around Brooklyn while plotting their next move and cutting tracks for their first album.

As people will realize once the full-length comes out (in early 2012, on a rad indie), it was time well spent. With the help of producer Shane Stonebeck—a man behind the boards for another notable band's debut LP, Cults—Hospitality have expanded their musical reach, turning previously modest songs into confident and robust compositions. The band's considerable charms don't merely survive the transition to higher fidelities; they thrive in these surroundings, promising to make their debut not only one of the most anticipated releases of the next year, but one of the best, too. Go see them now. —David Raposa