The Bar Loves Pop ETC

Christopher Chu...I see you.

You see, Chris here is the frontman of POP ETC, a band currently based in New York and formally known as the Morning Benders.  Chris founded the group around ten years ago and despite changes in the line-up, it's still going strong.

I first learned about POP ETC ("pop etcetera", by the way) while watching the second season of Lovesick on Netflix and I heard a song that I would later discover was called "Running in Circles."  It didn't take long to scour the net to track it down and find its creators.

I'll admit I didn't become a fan of theirs right away because without seeing them, I thought they were another Thriving Ivy/Jonas Brothers-type of deal and I'm really not about that life. I just wanted to buy the "Running in Circles" mp3 and have done with it.

But when I discovered they were mostly POC...it was all over.

POP ETC definitely has that electro-pop 80s touch, but their sound is clearly more modern and with overall better vocals. Seriously, Christopher Chu has some great pipes. He even sounds good live - no vocal tiredness, no going off key, no straining - and that's rare for a lot of singers.

"Vice" is my favorite song thus far, for with the quality sound and strong vocals, the lyricism is also worthy of praise. "Vice" has this subtly sensual undertone which makes me pause every time I hear it.

"Bad Break" is my third favorite; the album version is fast-paced with lots of synth and guitars, but I wanted to share this piano and vocal-only version to showcase Chu's voice (and piano-playing abilities, apparently).

POP ETC's 2016 album Souvenir is the one I like best. Their music's been used in shows and commercials, and they spent a whole year (I think) recording in Japan, so they stay pretty busy and you can see they have a steady following on YouTube.

Don't let those youthful looks fool you, guys. Dude's in his early 30s.