The Motorcycle Industry pick up the slack on their newest endeavor, the four-song 7" The Only Friends Worth Having.

On their previous release, 2008's Electric Education, the band made a decent dent with a somewhat stripped-down, self-referential, melodic sound full of shruggingly upbeat flavors and quirky vibes--like Baseball-era Say Anything with a quasi-folky slant and better production. But with Friends, there's more of a full-band, stomping sound, and it's brasher and more confident.

This 7" seems to have a generally downward slope in terms of sound and tempo, but it works all right. They sound downright exuberant for the howled chorus of opener "Paul Newman and a Ride Home," while "French for Tigers" marks the more restrained territory fans might be familiar with, only better than the band have done in the past, and fine keyboard application as well. "Electric Education" is slower, more acoustic and piano-based, maybe even balladic, but still with that persistently sanguine flair the band can't seem to rid themselves of. Closer "Possessed" finds another twangy, uptempo stomp, though, opening with a digitized-vocal pronouncement that reminds me of Criteria's "Rescue Rescue."

Insistently catchy and, sure, a tad kitschy ("You look so sad in your American Football T-shirt"), the Motorcycle Industry nonetheless make a steady stride with The Only Friends Worth Having.

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Paul Newman and a Ride Home
Possessed