Blue eye shadow and Atari aside, Cute Phase captures the innocence of new wave rock, and infuses the raw passion not necessarily found in the work of their predecessors. The often dark perspective colors this band the perfect shade of moody to contrast the melodic rock hooks and catchy synth lines. Front man Adam Unknown was writing music which might nowadays be considered lyrically 'emo' long before the term was even coined. A child of the 80's, his savant-like knowledge of keyboard sounds and Kraftwerk flavored programmed drums is evident in the style and production of his project, Cute Phase.

The core members of Cute Phase, singer, guitarist and drummer Adam Unknown, and Leyla Saberi met at the trendy Echo club in 2003, and nine months later found themselves playing to a capacity crowd at the same venue. This union was formed on the mutual admiration of the same music, style, and love of all things childlike and kitsch. Living what they sing, Cute Phase has cultivated an image of anti-social beauty, and maybe not so ironically have remained somewhat buried in the Los Angeles underground. Uncompromising in his D.I.Y. ethic, Adam set out to find his ideal band mates, often teaching his friends how to play instruments for the first time, like Miss Leyla for example, rather than playing the Hollywood hired gun game. There is a certain element of uncertainty with these newcomers, which brings to the live show an electricity and authenticity much needed in the Los Angeles hipster music scene.

The balance between the two halves of Cute Phase is kinetic, with Leyla as the more spontaneous punk mistress, contrasting Adam's perfectionism, which holds the music to an almost unachievable standard. The recordings are multi-layered, textural compositions deriving influences from The Cure and Depeche Mode bracket to the more obscure Spacemen 3. Tracks "London Drugs" and "Victim Loved Silence" are hybrids reminiscent of New Order and Shudder to Think – with just a smidge of Tones on Tail.

The transition from studio recordings to live performances is often challenging for production-heavy bands. After some tweaking, Cute Phase has struck a perfect balance between live and prefab tracks. Their live show was at first, electro-centric, with laptop stepping in as drummer. The ultra brooding lead singer and exotic keyboardist performed with prerecorded tracks, coupled with projected ambient images, which made for a delicious sensory overload. Although this setup worked well sonically, the drawback was a somewhat sterile and overproduced sound. Cute Phase has recently transitioned to a more organic setup, playing with bassist Bryce Martin and drummer Ryan Forster.

Even though the current outfit is all real live human beings, the sound is congruous with the feel of the drum machine-like cadences of the studio recordings. Catch the next Cute Phase gig downtown at the Lost Souls Café on January 31st. The EP Victim Loved Silence is an indie release, and is available though their website, www.cutephase.com. When asked about the audience he most wishes to connect with, Adam Unknown darkly quips with hair aptly tousled in front of one eye, "Those who feel alone in a crowded room". Po-TAY-to, Po-TAH-to, goth or emo, Cute Phase is well worth the listen, especially on a rainy day.

Cute Phase / January 31st @:

Lost Souls Cafe www.lostsouls.com 124 W 4th St Los Angeles, CA 90013 (213) 617-7006 www.cutephase.com www.myspace.com/cutephase