No Singles

This is not necessary listening to better understand the band, more like the homework they gave the last week of school, not affecting your grade but still fun and worthwhile.

Though No Singles won’t appeal to everyone, it’ll surely satisfy the audience that missed their first chance to hear these once-lost EPs. Missteps aside, this insight into their early material reaffirms Japandroids’ place as the most engaging two-man garage rock act since the White Stripes.

Despite the hit and miss content, Japandroids come off as so genuine it would be cynical to view this release with suspicion. Hell, if anything, it's proof positive that they're improving-- and a cautionary tale against the dangers of hyping bands in their infancy and not giving them chances to develop.

Sure, it's the same two people responsible for creating the whole shebang, but at drastically different stages of their musical proficiency, it must be said.

No Singles reveals Japandroids as a band that has vastly improved since the release of those early EPs. And while you can’t exactly fault the band for having gotten better, neither does it seem fair to laud their humble beginnings on the grounds that they’re vaguely illuminating.

No Singles rounds up the All Lies (2007) and Lullaby Death Jams (2008) EPs that evaded the debut, and it’s much the same story here.

No Singles is the Japandroid’s origin story. It is filled with the stumbles, growing pains and nods to their influences that serve to remind us a band’s conception is rarely perfect.