Shortwave Party

“Where to Begin”/”Hopeless” (Wave Cave)

Shelby DuPerier’s voice summons the frailties of the youthful human heart. Her powerful vocal presence could resonate in any number of musical contexts, but they work particularly well against Shortwave Party’s mid-Eighties alt-pop. Inspired by the Smiths, the quintet never lets the mope grow maudlin. Credit guitarists Justin Finney and Brady Porche, who weave a riveting web of jangle that magnifies DuPerier’s soulful yearning.

This article appears in December 28 • 2012.

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Greg Beets was born in Lubbock on the day Richard Nixon was elected president. He has covered music for the Chronicle since 1992, writing about everyone from Roky Erickson to Yanni. Beets has also written for Billboard,Uncut, Blurt, Elmore, and Pop Culture Press. Before his digestive tract cried uncle, he co-published Hey! Hey! Buffet!, an award-winning fanzine about all-you-can-eat buffets.