Pitchfork

On its second single for Too Pure, this Kent-based band peels away the dreamy indie-pop sheen of its earlier work and reveals an affinity for indie of the American persuasion. The feedback-coated noodling will be recognizable to anyone who has bothered to listen to a Sonic Youth record lately. To match, Matthew Simms does a pretty spot-on Thurston Moore impression as well. But It Hugs Back thankfully reins in some of SY's more indulgent impulses so that "Cars" never ceases to be a song, even as it ever-so-artfully unravels. Credit the slack yet steady rhythmic counterpoint supplied by bassist Paul Michael and drummer Dimitri Sudell. Thanks to them, "Cars" hardly idles even when it crosses the six-minute mark. Not the most original creation, to be sure, but proof that sometimes a familiar embrace is enough.