This Thursday at the Black Cat, one of my biggest guilty-pleasure bands is playing the Backstage. The Submarines craft cheery indie-pop, with catchy lyrics, bright acoustic guitars, and airy synths. It’s a testament to their songwriting abilities that even a jaded dude like me can’t help but get into them.

The story behind The Submarines is adorable; the duo met while playing in other bands in Boston, then joined forces, but broke up after they each moved to LA in 2004. They continued writing songs though; songs that were obviously about how much they missed each other. Then they got back together and kept the band going! (I was pretty sure that sort of thing could never happen, but hey, maybe I’m just writing the wrong kind of breakup songs?)

Their debut album “Honeysuckle Weeks” was a product of this breakup. These cheery songs made it into episodes of “Gossip Girl”, “Grey’s Anatomy” and even an iPhone commercial. God, that album was good – It’s so infectious that I’ve had “You Me & the Bourgeoisie” stuck in my head all day, even though I haven’t heard it in months. Their new album is just as solid. I’m declaring it now – “Love Notes / Letter Bombs” is the soundtrack to my summer.

The Submarines
w/ Pepper Rabbit
Black Cat Backstage
Thursday, April 28
$10