Heavily influenced by the Kinks and the Zombies, the lads in the clunkily named Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin play sparkly, sunshiny pop by way of Springfield, Missouri, with peppy guitars and cuddly vocals intersecting in surprising and dynamic ways. Their new album, Pershing, lends an American beachcombing/Brothers Wilson sound to late ’90s Scottish twee, and their twinkling melodicism fulfills the early promise of the Shins. It’s guitar pop done right, and a much finer alternative to similarly upbeat guitar-pop sensations Vampire Weekend, thankfully lacking the awkward fusing of dumbed-down world music elements and the Vamp’s spring break sand-crotch Jimmy Buffet party jam vibe. SSLYBY sound like a bunch of middle-class American suburban kids who love writing songs and playing music—and got really good at it—rather than prep school upstarts finding an unconventional money-making scheme for their Business 101 class project.

I saw the Yeltsin boys a couple years ago and they totally won me over. It was at Berbati’s Pan, a few weeks before the Zombies show at the 2006 MusicFest NW. Somehow they got wind of that upcoming show, and mentioned how absolutely blown away they were to be playing the same stage that the Zombies would soon be gracing. They then played “Friends of Mine.”

In the Up & Coming blurb from this week’s paper (above) I might have said more about how I dislike Vampire Weekend more than how much I do like SSLYBY. So let it be said that I think their record is charming, cozy, and perfectly pop. The melodies and arrangements are inventive, addictive, and both comforting and surprising.

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin plays tonight at the Towne Lounge, 714 SW 20th Place, with Port O’Brien and the Ocean Floor. 9:30 pm, $8.