First Listen: Givers, 'In Light'

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The first thing that jumps out about the Lafayette, La., band Givers is its emphasis on percussion, which comes in clattering, cascading, polyrhythmic waves. Live, that often entails multiple drum kits, and on In Light — the band's debut full-length after an EP and months spent building anticipation via web singles — it feeds Givers a sense of urgency and momentum that informs the alternately chipper and chanted vocals.

This is no band of music revolutionaries: Givers' music fits neatly into the world of sunny kids who've figured out ways to incorporate Afrobeat into indie-pop. But the songs are there, and good songwriting trumps... well, pretty much everything else. The opening track from In Light, "Up Up Up," says an awful lot about Givers' spirited sound and flair for skillfully deployed repetition, while other songs that have enjoyed a strong run on music blogs ("Ceiling of Plankton," et al) get a nice second life, too.

Givers' five members, three of whom sing and two of whom wield percussion at any given moment, are known for swapping roles with ease. Due out June 7, In Light reflects that knockabout, anything-goes vibe, just in time for the season that suits it best.