Marc Neibauer (formerly “Eat Your Birthday Cake”) plays an effortless style of alternative that would sound like a tribute to Sonic Youth, Pavement, and groups of that creative rock ilk — if it wasn’t for his own gripping songwriting. “Playtime” shows the Philadelphia native as an adept constructor of hooks, especially during a chorus where gorgeous electric guitar trickles accompany a melodic slide in his vocal delivery, where he sings with anguish “I got things to do.” Neibauer’s own love for acts like Grandaddy, Sonic Youth, and Pavement is evident, but they’re only reference points. This is a songwriter whose originality is more than enough to carry his own.
