My Wonderful Boyfriend are a new-ish NYC indie rock band informed by the classics. In promo materials, the band claims influences such as “Pavement, Big Star, Blur, Wilco, and Vampire Weekend,” and I hear a lot of that in “My New Shirt,” the new single from their forthcoming EP Mr. Authenticity Speaks. The track pulses with nervous energy and piles on melodies in the form of lush keyboard lines, darting guitar riffs, and P.J. McCormick’s scrappy-underdog vocals. At first the whole thing strikes me as “What if Pavement, but emo, but also power-pop?” Eventually, as the song settles into its rocked-out second half, it takes on more of an early Modest Mouse/Built To Spill/Cymbals Eat Guitars feel. It’s good, and McCormick has this to say about it:

“My New Shirt” is a song about the last car ride you take as a couple when it’s sort of all falling apart. It’s about the moment you figure out you’re riding passenger in your own life, and you’re like: oh, shoot. And the hubris and partying that can get you there (and maybe get you out).

Listen below.

Mr. Authenticity Speaks is out 12/1. My Wonderful Boyfriend are playing a single release party for “My New Shirt” tonight at Cassette in Ridgewood, Queens.