Some background here is needed. Back in August, the Domestics were getting ready to release their album through Tender Loving Empire. The band and label hit upon a scheme to send out promo cassettes (Whoa! I remember those!) titled "Trump/Comey Recordings" and decorated with Cyrillic characters and a piece of the album art. The label went one step further and affixed return addresses from organizations like InfoWars and the Westboro Baptist Church.

Oops.

The Domestics Little Darkness (self-released/Southern Poverty Law Center)

Anyway, the band split from the label and is donating all proceeds from this album to anti-hate groups, including the Southern Poverty Law Center. This being small-time indie pop, I'm sure that will buy some coffee for a few staffers. But the larger symbolism is cool.

The Domestics play old-school anthemic power pop. More Lips than Matthew Sweet, but you can hear influences from all over the map. I hear old Chapel Hill bands like the Knobs and the Comas, and I'm sure those who have spent their years on the west side of this great land (like these Portland guys) will have other touchpoints.

The music is well-crafted and played with solid enthusiasm. The soaring hooks at the center of the songs are impressive, and all of the intersecting points that lead up to the release mesh nicely. Sometimes I just want to listen to music that is trying to be something. The Domestics aren't short on ambition, and they follow through here.

So ignore that backstory. Just play the music and let it wash over in sheets. It won't cleanse your soul, but you might feel a little better in the aftermath.

Jon Worley