While most suburban high school boys go through an agro-music phase, Matt Vantine and Matt Amadio consciously went in the opposite direction, seeking the most poppy, upbeat tunes they could find.
To do so they had to dig deep into their siblings’ collections, pulling out endless gems: The Pixies, Blur, The Cars, The Moody Blues, The Flaming Lips, The Smiths.
Now in their early 20s, the Upper Darby High grads have formed their own poppy trio, The Fleeting Ends. Working with Milkboy producer Tommy Joyner, the Ends have achieved a slick precision-pop-rock, reminiscent of The Killers and The Cribs.
“Since the beginning, Matt and I wanted to sound like we weren’t taking ourselves too seriously,” says Amadio. “There’s a lot of bands writing these ultra serious songs, but I can never enjoy them as much as The Pixies or The Cars. You always have the sense that The Cars don’t quite take themselves that seriously. There’s something about that that feels true to me.”
On Saturday, The Ends will share a bill with recent “The Voice” star Erin Willett.
“I’m not gonna say we have a happy-go-lucky sound, but we’re looking for something upbeat that, you know, it just hits you — makes you feel good,” says Amadio. “And it seems like bands used to know how to do that really well. So we’re always looking back for a few ideas.”
If you go
The Fleeting Ends
with Erin Willett
Saturday, 9:30 p.m.
MilkBoy Philly
1100 Chestnut St.
$8-$10, 215-925-6455
