Music: Craft Spells Aims for Soft Hearts and Dancers

Craft Spells, an indie pop band hailing from Stockton, California, is the brainchild of 24-year-old Justin Vallesteros, alongside fellow band members Jack Doyle Smith, Peter Michel, and Javier Suarez.
Pulling inspiration from the bands of the mid to late 1980s, Craft Spells produces some tunes you would consider being a tribute to bands like Pixies and The Smiths, with a bit of modern tweaking. Their combination of synth and guitar lines sound like they are pulled from a 1986 teen film.
They produced their first EP, "Party Talk," in 2010, with another following in early 2011 labeled "After the Moment," before launching their debut album, "Idle Labor," in spring of 2011. Most recently, they put out their six track 2012 EP, "Gallery," last May.
Although Craft Spells has a lot of similarity to the music they've been inspired by, they have managed to define their unique sound with one album-an impressive feat. "Idle Labor" is comprised of melodic tones, sometimes moving slowly with deep emotion, sometimes quickly composing a combination of riffs and lyrics to get you dancing along with others.
With the high key catchy guitar, you might not even find yourself noticing the Vallesteros' soft-spoken lines. One of the main draws of "Idle Labor's" lineup is "Party Talk," taken from the EP of the same name.
The lyrics cleverly describe a young man trying to glean romantic intent from conversations at a party, but eventually boil it down to how it's all just "party talk." Other songs to check out on "Idle Labor" include "From the Morning Heat" and the beautiful track "After the Moment."
Aimed for soft hearts and dancers, "Craft Spells" makes some of the best romantic pop I've heard, despite the lack of a Wikipedia article or a sophomore album. But my recommendation is to keep an eye on them if they spark your interest.
From the way they've kept their momentum going on their 2012 EP, it seems as though they might just make it into the limelight with the best of those in their genre.
If you're looking to see them live, they just ended their tour, having passed through Cincy with the rest of the Midpoint Music Festival crews. Let that not get you down though. There's always next year. If you like Craft Spells, other bands to check out would be "The Radio Dept.," "Wild Nothing," and "The Wake."