Elite Gymnastics’ “Real Friends” EP is the most important post-newrave recording of the first half of 2010. I know, that sentence is pretty much like the biggest jerk thing any blogger could ever write but listen to the EP and disagree. Important is a big word, but “Real Friends” is important in that it is the perfect end cap to the past five years… And not just an end cap but perhaps hope for music that is not chillwave. And hope that “underground club” (whatever sub-genre is being thrown around this minute) is not just a derivative of a banger or disco or electro or whatever… that people can still cut and paste samples and create a layered collage of interesting sounds and textures that are backed with actual emotions.

“We Fly High” sounds like something Carles from HRO would do. But unlike Carles there is no tongue in cheek. And unlike Carles, Elite Gymnastics does not leave you with a feeling of smarminess. You’re actually left with sincerity, which is refreshing. If LCD Soundsystem set the tone of the last decade with “Losing My Edge” then perhaps “We Fly High” sets the tone for this decade. Instead of “playing Daft Punk to the rock kids” we now have the asshole who requested that you “just play every Van She Tech remix.” This is an ode to a lost generation:

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Elite Gymnastics – “We Fly High”

Of course, “We Fly High” isn’t the standout track. It’s not the biggest moment of the EP. It is blog worthy because it’s an obvious jumping off point. On the flipside there’s “If U Love Me” which has a commercial Pictureplane feeling to it. Which sounds like another jerk thing to say. But if Pictureplane fills a niche then Elite Gymnastics open the door to something that could have mass appeal:

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Elite Gymnastics – “If U Love Me”

The EP is free. Download it at Psychedelic Surf Club. Is there longevity to this? I dunno, but let’s hope they have more than just these four songs.