This is the good weird. Salty’s sound harkens back to the mid-aughts, that dark time where we decided to make everything sound digital as the 1980s interpreted it. The synth and effects are not overwhelming here, so it works. “Baby, Me Walk Upright” is about eight minutes deep into side A of the cassette and reminds me of an underappreciated Virginia-based band I loved as a teen called VCR. It has synths right out of a haunted house, which makes it hilarious and great. As much as Salty calls out to some nostalgia, they’ll always be connected to 2017 thanks to the title “Die Lil Pupper (Requiem for Straw Doggos).” Salty is like Mean Jeans on memes with a sheen of electroclash. –Nicole X (Self-released, [email protected])