Dead Professional (aka VA-based singer-songwriter John Harouff) strips classic rock and roll and new wave pop down to their barest elements using rudimentary drum loops and a pair of vocal processors. The concise song-craft walks the line between cool revivalism and warm bittersweet pop.

Check out both sides of his coin with the unhurried yet sweetly insistent ballad Pillow Talk and the upbeat, infectiously jittery Downtown At Sundown.