First of all, I never would've guessed Masonic were from Austin. Or Texas. Or, hell, America, for that matter. There's such a strong British indie sensibility at work here that I'd wondered whether some of the fivepiece might have been ex-pats. Along with the disc's flashes of the Jesus and Mary Chain, there are also moments which recall later-period Lush, Saint Etienne, and occasionally the sadly-forgotten late '80s/early '90s fuzz-poppers the Primitives. (Or, while we're at it, the equally nostalgia-inducing Darling Buds from the same era.)

I'm also picking up on a European pop thread running throughout. Touching upon the Gallic pop of Francoise Hardy and France Gall without dipping into the French language, they're less Stereolab and perhaps more Cinerama, the Goddard-and-Truffaut-evoking romantics fronted by the Wedding Present's David Gedge. Honestly, the only American band which springs to mind is Ivy - itself a modern update to Gallic pop, thanks to the deliciously French-accented vocals of Dominique Durand.

While Masonic's lead vocalist Eryn Gettys might not directly resemble Durand or forbears Hardy and Gall, there is a similar coolness to her delivery, and much of the band's arrangements appear to have been written with '60s pop in mind - whether ye ye Paris girl sounds or swinging London mod-stomps. Rather than simply re-creating classic sounds, however, the quintet assembles its influences into intriguing formations: hence, we get songs which slide easily between crunching garage rock and leisurely Left Bank strolls.

Opener "Under the Radar" glides with the same careful grace as much of Ivy's 2005 masterwork In the Clear (Nettwerk), mainly due to engrossing keyboard twinkles from Kevin Mason and a billowing vocal from Gettys. Trey D'Amico (bass) and Brian Mason (drums) push the song along with a slow-rolling rhythm; the gentle but persuasive pulse is the perfect accompaniment for Gettys' high-register cries of "I'll be invisible / I will be the one to make you smile." Its follow-up, "Regret Is All," is one half miniskirt-shimmy / one half street prowl, marrying John Mason's feedback-happy guitar grumbles to an enormously catchy, handclap-ready melody complete with a "da-doo-doo" line that is pure bliss, along with a taunting chorus: "You say you want it - yeah, baby, you can have it."

Anyone who remembers the sweet crunch of the Primitives' garage-rock/girl group pair-ups on tracks such as "Crash," "Secrets," and "Way Behind Me" will surely be thrilled with Masonic's carrying of the torch. Now that I think of it, maybe I'm detecting some kinship with the Raveonettes as well? "Last Chance" - with its dreamy-detachment vocals matched up with jagged guitars, condition-critical keyboards, and occasional full-body-release crescendos - lends support to my theory, as does their late-night crawl through Del Shannon's oldies-radio fave "Runaway," here meted out with considerably more ennui than on the original.

Drifting in with a faux-string intro which would make Massive Attack's former orchestral-arranger Craig Armstrong nod in appreciation, "Repeat My Fate" offers Masonic at their most filmic. Here, keyboards imitate sweeping, drama-enhancing violins and Parisian sidewalk-café accordions. Meanwhile, a thumping rhythm hits the listener mid-gut while an unhurried easy-funk guitar passage strums away with steady understatement. Gettys' vocal is pitched somewhere between the cool reserve of Ivy's Durand and the winsome charms of Saint Etienne's Sarah Cracknell, and the track could easily slip nicely between spins from either artist's catalog.

And lest I forget: Masonic seems to have saved a marvelous little surprise for the penultimate number, "I'll Come Back." Boasting a quintessentially '80s drum track, glam-pop guitars, squelchy synths, and a skinny-tie melody, Gettys sounds curiously - thrillingly - a little like the late, great Kirsty MacColl fronting a long-lost new wave band. Here's hoping it's an avenue the group chooses to follow again in the future.

According to Masonic's Web site, a new self-issued EP, The Human Blade, should be out very soon. In the meantime, Things I Am Guilty Of can be bought online through Austin's Waterloo Records, as well as through iTunes.