An intriguing although not entirely successful blend of 1965 and 1981, the debut album by New Zealand's {$Brunettes} starts brilliantly with the {\bubblegum} mini-operetta {&"The Moon in June Stuff,"} a multi-part invention that mixes the free and swinging grace of a classic {$Gene Pitney} or {$Shangri-Las} single with a layer of hyper-self-aware irony common to {\post-punk} teenagers who just discovered {$Phil Spector}. Songwriter/producer {$Jonathan Bree} and lead singer {$Heather Mansfield} sound like they've digested decades' worth of {\bubblegum}, echoes of everything from {$Joe Meek} to {$the Apples in Stereo} crop up in these songs, but the mixture of plinky synths and {$Burt Bacharach} chords at the root of songs like {&"Talk to Jesus"} or {&"End of the Runway"} sounds refreshing and unique most of the time. The problem is that a few of the songs, like the gimmicky {&"Dancefloor"} and the relentlessly name-dropping {&"Summer Love,"} sound a bit schematic, like you can tell which old records they've copped bits from. Most of the time, however, {^Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks} is a guilt-free sugar rush. {$Redd Kross} and {$John Southworth} fans in particular take note. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide