A Classic Education’s co-ordinates are scattered across Europe and Canada. Language barriers and thousands of miles tried to get in the way of the band committing themselves to a debut EP, but lo and behold, here arrives Hey There Stranger, a bold announcement from the part-Italian, part-Canadian six piece.

Jonathan Clancy (aka dream-pop purveyor His Clancyness) heads the troupe, helping muster up a sound that pits itself further from the band’s home, adapting little from Italy or Canada and coming across more like it was recorded on the East Coast of America; road trips and surfboards. You might have one eye on the “back a page” button after reading that but be aware: A Classic Education separate themselves nicely from the crop of lo-fi by numbers that’s storming the same area. These songs aren’t indebted to beach pop, chillwave or fuzzy punk, they’re beautifully written, uplifting pop songs – more akin to The Shins and Grizzly Bear than every buzz artist with a similar ethos.

The centrepiece within this near-flawless six pack, ‘What My Life Could Have Been’, is overwhelming. A joyous blend of quick-witted chords and emotional, grand guitar riffs, it goes by in a flash but could retain your attention for another ten minutes. The sedated wooziness of ‘Devilish Coast Sway’ and the Hawaii-located ‘Toi’ are similarly entrancing, carefully contrasting to the downhearted furore of ‘I Lost Time’, Clancy spelling out every single one of his shortcomings, near-whimpering the words; “Nothing I have can be saved”.

Clancy’s experience is perhaps a factor in helping this EP present itself as something so accomplished. Within the space of six, well-layered songs they show a wealth of musical skills, with classy, sharp production endeavouring to honour a desire to resonate as both euphoric and morose.

Opener ‘Gone To Sea’ pits Clancy right up against the wall with James Mercer (of The Shins/Broken Bells fame) comparisons, his voice re-creating the quick, jagged delivery of his counterpart. But the rest of the EP delivers an abundance of different qualities; bringing forth a more intelligent edge to beach-pop and being careful to distance itself from that very genre. You’re unlikely to find a more polished introduction to a band than Hey There Stranger- if a debut album can carry even half the substance, melodies and brains of this first work, it’ll come close to being a modern day, you guessed it, classic.