“On their self-released debut album A Few More Published Studies, their sound nods to Big Star’s classic power-pop, but on the rowdy-yet-vulnerable “All My Friends,” the band sounds uncannily like a more falsetto-happy version of Pinkerton-era Weezer — if Rivers Cuomo threw out his charts and graphs of the perfect pop song, that is.”
“Childhood memories, soaring choruses, and slime — it doesn’t get much better.”
“It’s the disjointed decadence of Modest Mouse and a sound that soars like the Killers, supplemented by a Decemberists-like literacy”
“The quartet shines through catchy, grand anthems like ‘Academics’ and ‘The Professional,’ while honing commanding tracks such as ‘Smile’ and ‘Ideals.’ Their catalog radiates with charm, candor, and creativity”
“…These four Bushwick kids aren’t out to cause trouble with front man Alex Feder� pitch-perfect whoa-oh-ohs or his fellow musicians’ scrubbed-clean pop. These boys just want to have fun.”
“the Brooklyn power poppers deliver a perfect visual accompaniment to the rambunctious, anthemic “All My Friends”: Nickelodeon stars of yesteryear.”
“the band’s latest music video which is completely and totally awesome, if the words “physical challenge,” Pete, Ferguson or Budnick mean anything to you.”
“The music started with an a cappella chorus of “Sweet Adeline” from The XYZ Affair…It was a perfect introduction to the band, because it showcased their immensely impressive vocal talents. Without throwing too many adjectives at you, let us just say that this band impressed the hell out of us all. All warm smiles and happy feet, nobody watching The XYZ Affair could do anything but have a great time.”
“This album by a little known NYC band somehow found our way to our desk. It became a serendipitous moment for our stereo! These unsigned guys rock undeniably catchy power-pop harmonies that border on euphoric. For fans of Weezer and Queen.”
“The path to happiness is as easy as X-Y-Z. Sometimes you need some good old fashioned power pop in your life to remind you that the sky can be sunny every now and then. Who needs angst when you’ve got The XYZ Affair? This boisterous Brooklyn band creates entirely catchy feel-good music that’s perhaps played with a wink.”
These guys construct a self-aware homage to guilty pleasure pop. And the thing is, the songs they write are really good. When singer Alex Feder’s tenor soars to reach these out-of-my-range melodies, you must tip your cap to the man. He pulls it off without sounding annoying or relying on the vibrato crutch (not an easy feat in the American Idol world we seem to be living in).”
“Impressed is an understatement… We love these guys, and not just because they rock, it’s because they are genuinely nice guys that rock.”
“The rousing chorus at the end of “Academics” seems like the stuff major labels kill for.”
“We chatted a little about this band later — GL’s seen them four or so times now, Rob three (I believe), myself twice — and they seemed poised for a breakthrough.”
“Give the band points for originality — quoting F. Scott Fitzgerald and echoing Queen isn’t exactly a natural combination — but give them more points for ambition, because this album is a testament to how up-and-coming bands can walk those fine lines between catchy and experimental, between lo-fi and well-produced, between clever and meaningful.”
“They’ve even unearthed some forgotten chapters of classic rock, and they’ve remembered how important a pin-point arrangement can be.”
“Their songs are an odd mixture of Queen’s bombastic stadium-shaker rock, The Beach Boys’ luxuriant harmonies, and lyrics that sound inspired by Office Space.”
“Though the songs on A Few More Published Studies are very complex musically, they tend to be flat out stadium-rock songs, and yet somehow they’re both intelligent and earnest.”
