May or May Not singer Steve Reidell has one of the coolest names for a frontman I’ve seen in quite some time. It’s a retro sort of name; one I imagine belonging to a character in a ’50s musical where the captain of the basketball team tries to woo the head cheerleader as they sock hop their way into happily ever after. It turns out this association is remarkably fitting, considering May or May Not’s music is clearly an ode to lush ’50s and ’60s pop. In the brief 11 minutes of music featured on this Chicago fivesome’s debut EP, May or May Not treats us to their brand of sweet, sugary pop bliss. Chock full of handclaps, dynamic keyboard melodies, polished male harmonies, and plenty of "yeah yeahs" and "ooh oohs," it’s slick almost to a fault. Luckily, it’s so undeniably catchy and irresistibly fun that there’s no doubt these songs will be stuck in your head for days - in a good way.

"Best You Can" kicks things off with a terrific keyboard intro that strikes me as incredibly familiar, though I just can’t figure out where I may have heard it before. That may just be a credit to the band and its ability to cater to my pop sensibilities. The rest of the EP continues in this cheery, charming manner, with the exception of "Put a Sock in It," May or May Not’s only ballad.

After all the fun I was having listening to the first two tracks, the truth is I’m just not wanting to slow things down yet. The slightly cheesy lyrics, which are usually forgivable in the peppiest of power-pop due to the sheer melodic joy of it all, end up coming to the forefront, and the song just leaves me longing to bob my head and sing along again. Luckily, I get one more chance to do so with "What a Sin," and with that, the EP is over and I’m left wanting more.

Listening to May or May Not makes me long for the uncomplicated days of grade school, when we square danced in gym class, boys were still yucky, and girls watched Grease at sleepovers, wishing they were Sandra Dee. While May or May Not by no means provides much that’s innovative or intricate, the music on this EP is simple fun, and sometimes that’s all you need from a band.

1. Best You Can
2. Gotta Get Out of Here
3. Put a Sock in It
4. What a Sin

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