Would it be unforgivable of me to admit that the first thing that grabbed my average-sized attention when checking out Brooklyn outfit Die Pretty was vocalist/bassist Sarah Orloff?

The music video that flickered to life in front of me, when I clicked on a link in an email asking for a review of a band previously unknown to me, showcased an intriguing pop/punk band whose frontwoman was striking to say the least. Call me shallow but she was the reason that I investigated further, and I am happy that I did as the band's new EP, 'Battle Over Brooklyn', is an above average mix of the alternative and the commercial.

Abandoning the typical pop/punk influences (which, bizarrely, I have seen namechecked in almost every review of the band I have read since doing some background research for..err...personal reasons) in favour of a Scandinavian alternative sound more familiar to fans of The Sounds, The Cardigans even, Die Pretty has released a pin-sharp EP with a sparkling production that positively pings with detail and quality.

Named after a lyric from a Bad Religion song, Die Pretty have fashioned a sound that owes more to the darker, more alternative side of punk rock than the meat and potatoes formulaic pap of their contemporaries. 'Voices' has an ethereal AFI quality about it, and hangs on a guitar hook that conjures up memories of the late Stuart Adamson. 'Let Me Out' does throw a Gwen Stefani/No Doubt curveball into the mix, but it's done by way of a Debbie Harry delivery so everything is ok. '7^th Avenue' is a more sedate affair with a whiff of alterno-pop about it. 'Medicated Nation' is offered as a bonus and any so-called music journalist who doesn't spot the influence of Swedish dance rock pioneers The Sounds, especially in the keyboard-afflicted midsection, is a star-fucking, name-dropping, promo-disc selling fake.

'Battle Over Brooklyn', apparently, sees Die Pretty move away from their previous punk rock bent to a more commercial sound. Makes sense to me, especially as the band have done so in stylish fashion, avoiding the pitfalls of bandwagon-jumping to conjure up a new musical direction that will attract many fans of alternative-tinged pop rock.

Ones (not just one) to watch.....

www.myspace.com/dieprettynyc