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Lights Out, the studio debut from dreamy boy-girl indie pop duo Big Deal, feels far more muscular than its simple two guitar (electric and acoustic) foundation would suggest. Dewey-eyed, nostalgic, and bristling with teenage heartache, Kacey Underwood and Alice Costelloe have crafted a breezy set of late summer dream pop hymns that should please fans of fellow stargazers like Tennis, Cults, and Summer Camp. Unison vocals and simplistic melodies aside, Lights Out somehow manages to transcend its minimalist trappings. There's little in the way of filler, and stand-out cuts like "Chair," "Talk," and "Cool Like Kurt" straddle the thin line between angst and detachment without ever resorting to hipster fatalism. Adhering to such a limited arsenal can sometimes feel like the material was cut with a full band, then mixed down to just guitars and vocals, but Underwood and Costelloe manage to fill in the empty spaces with sheer charm. ~ James Christopher Monger
