(Self-released, digital) Surprise, surprise. The record store proprietor with a dedicated post-punk/new-wave section in his shop now finds himself in a brand-new post-punk/new-wave band. A cadre of Montpelier badasses — including Buch Spieler Records' co-owner Knayte Lander, recent Long Island transplants Ian Denning and Rob Tav, and mononymous vocalist Henri — have formed as New Erotics, a neon-streaked throwback outfit with modern sensibilities. Leaning hard into the synth-ified sounds of the '80s, the group delivers an incredibly solid first entry on its self-titled, four-song debut EP. In an email, Lander wrote that inspiration came from mainstays of the decade, such as Missing Persons and Berlin. He also noted that the kind of synth-punk New Erotics play — full of flashy hooks both vocal and synth-strumental — also enjoyed a brief revival in the early to mid-aughts through bands such as the Faint and the Sounds.