Siblings Jake and Jamin Orrall have been honing their finely pointed fun-punk since their high school days in 2001, stretching out with side projects like Be Your Own Pet. With JEFF, the duo sticks to a simple formula. A three-string guitar sometimes manages to sound like two fuzz-coated six-strings, while a drumkit is as stripped down as a kid’s first set. The result is riff-heavy, sharp-edged pop that would make Joey Ramone proud. JEFF's seventh album (and major-label debut) is produced by The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach; it doesn’t stray far from that basic formula, though surprises like keyboards and even a saxophone are present. “Country Life” and “Sixpack” celebrate youth—and the essence of JEFF—with the most basic of pleasures (beer, music, friends). Their distorted, melodic guitar parts are wrapped in summery sweetness. The brothers also indulge their interest in psych-rock (the lysergic “Region of Fire” and the sludgy, sitar-inflected “Mystic Portal II”). They've also got an unlikely affinity for krautrock; the wonderful “Hypnotic Winter” pulses with motorik tranquility beneath airy vocals and a jangly acoustic guitar.