Shy Child may only have two members, but its minimal instrumentation of synth, drums and vocals does wonders on
One With the Sun. Beginning with the jerky dance blast of "The Noise Won't Stop," the indie-post-punk duo will immediately draw comparisons to
the Rapture. The difference with
Shy Child, however, is that they choose layers of gurgling synthesizer over guitar. It's not a bad idea at all, as it provides just as much energy and stays balanced with Nate Smith's drums. With clap-along melodies and rhythms that border on disco, you'd have to be pretty square not to feel like dancing to selections such as "Break Your Neck" or "Technicrats." And "Summer," a bright pop song in disguise, shouldn't deter anyone with the lyrics "the war is over, no fighting overseas."
Shy Child closes by cooling the tempo down with the pretty "Take Me There," but only after they've established themselves as New York City's latest dance machine. ~ Kenyon Hopkin