MANILA, Philippines?Local band Taken by Cars? debut album, ?Endings of a New Kind,? is a joyride through dance-rock tunes of varying moods and intensities.

The music is reminiscent of catchy new wave melodies and has touches of edgy techno. Initially, TbC can be described as Hard-Fi meets 10,000 Maniacs meets Wild Swans. But after some spins, the listener discovers layers to the group?s creative and audacious fusion of styles.

TbC was formed by childhood buddies Bryce Zialcita (lead guitar), ?Siopao? Chua (rhythm guitar), Bryan Kong (drums) and Benny Yap (bass); they were joined later by Sarah Marco (vocals). Her ?androgynous vox,? as the CD sleeve calls it, shifts from girly and seductive in the funky ?Uh Oh,? to big and commanding in the angsty ?A Weeknight Memoir (in High Definition).?

Other standouts include ?The Afterhours,? a laid-back track that sounds like ?90s female rocker fare, and the bittersweet ?December 2 Chapter VII,? a song made rich and cohesive by playful sonic renderings.

All the members are credited for writing 11 songs. The words are mostly poetic, always accompanied by melodic palettes with anthemic pop-rock crescendos. Lyrics about longing, betrayal and sexual intimacy create different atmospheres, but the transitions into other songs are often seamless.

Hopefully next time there will be more lighter and experimental numbers to balance things out ? because a few songs tend to sound alike. A Tagalog song or two won?t hurt, either.

But for now, ?Endings of a New Kind? is a solid effort that augurs bright things ahead.