The Sun is the latest in the seemingly endless line of garage rock bands that are thrust upon us in hopes of somehow capitalizing on the revival started by the Von Bondies, the White Stripes and such. But unlike, say, the Datsuns, a new band who do the genre proud, The Sun just doesn’t seem to cut it.

We applaud them for their efforts though. After the unnecessary, heard-it-all-before romp of “Fell So Hard” starts of the record, they do attempt to switch gears with the electro-pop of “Rockstop.” But whether it’s any good is another different story. We certainly aren’t buying it–when singer Chris Burney belts out, “Until the rock stops/I won’t sleep tonight.” We wonder if the rock even started.

And for the most part, the rest of the EP plays the same old song and dance routine. Like many of the indistinguishable bands in the garage rock ilk, things simply run together. As expected, clich?s are at an all time high, too. “Are you ever going to come down?” they sing. So it goes.

Even the starpower of Wilco’s Leroy Bach, who lends bass on “Back in the Summer of ’72,” doesn’t seem to ignite the fire this four-piece is set on starting. Garage rock, you see, is supposed to be passionate and unpredictable. Call it bad timing, but The Sun standing alongside the Kills, the Dirtbombs and the Libertines just doesn’t seem right.

The one bright spot is the acoustic closer, “Eyelids Apart,” which is a nice break from the monotony we’ve been speaking of. And even if it does sound like a poor man’s Neil Halstead, we see a glimmer of hope.

It’s something genuine amongst the tedious angst. Here’s hoping the Sun shines more light on these elements.

In summary: One point for the always-stellar production of Jay Bennett. One point for a great album cover that features two teenagers making out. And one point for a half-decent acoustic number. But all of this really adds up to nothing. Unfortunately, this one’s regrettable.