The band name seems to say everything. Faux-Brit sad-sacks dwelling on the innocence of youth? Check. Bookish charm and awkward sexuality? Check. Twee guitars and weepy strings? Check. What the band name won't tell you is that Weekends Away is a brilliant EP. This fey five-piece draws from the best elements of its peers without tending toward sarcasm, like, say, Belle and Sebastian, or falling into the muck of melodrama a la Trembling Blue Stars.

Like a shy schoolboy watching his father pore over bills and regrets, singer/guitarist Charles Bert is clearly nervous about what the future holds. In a desperate attempt to stave off the inevitability of boredom, he evokes calm summer nights, the sweet smell of dew-drizzled grass, and road trips with a lover -- all with an objective plainness that only heightens the romance. Opener "Weekends Away" throws you in the back of a beat-up car to watch quietly while the two lovers up front drive through the night to get anywhere, so long as they're away. The pretty keys, hushed drums and shy, rolling basslines provide the hint of optimism needed to carry the young couple toward freedom, even if it's only for the weekend.

After listening to "Sixteen and Pretty", you'll wonder why you just saw your whole life flash before your eyes: "Staring through the window glass / I took your photograph / with my reflection looking back / memories in white and black." Bert whispers. Is it a little too nostalgic? Yes. Will you want to bathe yourself in Bert's winsome heartbreak? Yes. "Oh, God only knows / I was just like any other boy." He sings throughout the chorus, and that's just the point: If you can't relate to this EP, you should probably find work as a mannequin.

By the time you've listened to the courageous strings on "Love, Again" and the jangly, lyrically sly "When We Get Famous", one thing will be clear: these four short, simple tunes quietly announce the arrival of a great new band