Newcomers Midi Matilda show major talent

Midi Matilda, “Red Light District EP” (Five Seven Music)

San Francisco-based electro pop duo Midi Matilda pulls the rug out from under your feet with their six-track debut EP, “Red Light District.” Having joined forces just a year ago, with names like Logan Grime and Skyler Kilborn, they couldn't have been anything other than a pair of poets in disguise as musicians. Their peppy sound strides the line between modern pop and homage 1980s with aplomb and manages to capture a certain joie de vivre and a youthful hopefulness without sounding derivative.

“Day Dreams” transports you to a wistful day of reverie and “Love and the Movies” veers into a strange time-bending territory where you feel you've heard bits and pieces of the synth, yet you're dislocated into the unknown. And “Ottawa” pulses through your feet with lyrics like: “Unsure lady, if there's room for you and I, you're pouring your concrete and it's taking time for it to dry.”

Put on your dancing shoes.