Color us obsessed: YStyle’s monthly list of items that are the cat’s pajamas

Synthpop that’ll put you off EDM forever

MANILA, Philippines - I’ll admit that I’m extremely late to the synthpop party of 2013, but I think my level of obsession more than makes up for it: Chvrches’ debut album, “The Bones of What You Believe,” is literally the only thing I’ve listened to in the last two weeks. I don’t know if it’s because I was born in the ‘80s and thus grew up to the sweet, sweet sound of synthesizer, but I cannot get enough. The melodies are fantastic; the hooks are ridiculous; their lyrics are clever and deceptively dark (I’ve been tweeting selections almost obnoxiously on a daily basis, though my favorite is from the rather depressing Tether: “I’m feeling capable of seeing the end / I’m feeling capable of saying it’s over,” oh God, my heart, the pain, #FEELS), a perfect counterpoint to the astonishing cuteness of singer Lauren Mayberry’s voice (FYI, the voice is as cute as the lady), and maybe it’s the beauty nerd in me, but that girl’s skin is unreal (UNREAL!) and her eyeliner game is so on point. They make the kind of music you can dance to without feeling like you’ve sold your soul to the sleazy dance-floor gods of mainstream EDM, and as someone who likes to dance but is squicked out by the mind-numbingly stupid standards they play at every single club, every single weekend, I couldn’t have asked for anything better. — Regina Belmonte