Here's a change from the usual pace—a little something more tender from Burkes.

I literally know zero about Burkes aside than the fact they’re from Chicago, sent me their EP in October, and it took me until yesterday to finally listen to it. Sorry dudes!

If you’re looking for any easy classification, I might describe them as mid-tempo power pop, if you believe power-pop can actually be mid-tempo. It’s sweet and delicate stuff but never feels like it’s going to crumble in on itself—there’s enough of an internal rhythmic drive to keep things clipping along. The singer also has a tender voice that's still self-assured enough to maintain some interesting stuff in the tenor range.

It's all a little mellower than I tend to trend, but for the end of the year it's a nice change of pace.

The opening tune on their self-titled EP should be enough to let you know if this is your thing or not. I get the feeling they’re pretty early on still, as far as the existence of the band is concerned, so I’m curious to see where they go from here. They don't seem to have any shows planned, but they've played Burlington and Beat Kitchen so keep an eye on those scenes.