Kevin Bronson on May 2nd, 2013

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Not unlike its title, Pyyramids’ debut album “Brightest Darkest Day” ducks from the shadows to the light and back to the shadows again, seemingly from song to song. The mix of gritty guitars, slippery effects and cool electro is the handiwork of OK Go’s Tim Nordwind and singer Drea Smith (ex-He Say/She Say), who shows she can play sultry, vulnerable and playful, though never all at once. “Brightest Darkest Day,” which was mixed by Dave Fridmann, recalls, at various points, the likes of Metric, Veruca Salt and Everything But the Girl – indeed, the raging chorus in “Paper Doll” seems cut from the ’90s. The video, directed by Ian Asbjornsen and Ericka Clevenger, is a trip too, thanks to Javier Meza’s art direction and Paula Salhany’s visual effects.

||| Stream: The whole album on Soundcloud.

||| Live: Pyyramids play tonight at the Satellite with Lavender Diamond and Missing Teen.