Let’s slap some contagiously upbeat jams on this glorious hump day from our neighbors to the great white north, eh? Toronto natives HIGHS self titled debut EP ranked as one of my favorite musical collections in 2014, with a slew of outrageously fun tracks influenced by the bands time spent in Tanzania. Songs about growing up, spirituality, and differing perspectives on how to define home make this EP not only instrumentally exciting, but lyrically captivating. Their first full length album “Dazzle Camouflage” was just released in April and although they seem to have removed some of the initially trademark peppiness, it’s still certainly worth the listen.

In reality there isn’t a great deal of complication within HIGHS core competencies that come together to make “Summer Dress” different from your standard alt-pop song. The first of these competencies is the seemingly intricate guitar picking, which creates a summery, rolled down windows kind of vibe for a seasonal appeal. The second is the tribal percussion patterns which promote an environment conducive to rhythmic dancing. The final piece to the puzzle is lead vocalist Doug Haynes, who acts a pseudo pop singer in front of a traditional alternative band to form a fully rounded and distinguished look to “Summer Dress” as an alt-pop summer jam.