Since they formed in 2011, Sweden's Alpaca Sports have made nothing but indie pop at its finest. Proudly twee, with the kind of chiming guitars, synthy synths, and wholesomely cute vocals that define the genre, their leader Andreas Jonsson has stayed true to his vision, releasing loads of great singles, the classic album Sealed with a Kiss, and now this excellent mini-LP. When You Need Me the Most calls on some of the finest producers and musicians of indie pop past and present to help the core trio of Jonsson, vocalist Amanda Åkerman, and guitarist Carl Jirestedt make some magic. Working from his Chicago home, Lisle Mitnik of Fireflies contributed guitar, vocals, and synth strings, Ladybug Transistor's Gary Olson and Julia Rydholm recorded trumpet and bass, respectively (drums too), at Olson's Brooklyn studio, and legendary producer Ian Catt (who worked with the Field Mice on all of their records) put it all together at his London studio. All their contributions, excellent as they are, would have been for naught had Jonsson not written a batch of lovely, lovestruck songs. He did exactly that and the mini-LP is just as good as Sealed, maybe even a little more satisfying thanks to the little touches Mitnik brings to the sound and Catt's sure-handed production. The leadoff track "Just Like Them" shows how well everything comes together: the bopping '60s beat plays perfectly against the cheesy synth strings, Jonsson's tough and tender lyrics are sung with just the right mix of heartbreak and nostalgia by the duo, and the breakdowns where the handclaps take over are a nice little hooky arrangement trick. The rest of the album is just as impressive and almost every song hits as hard and sticks as much. As a follow-up to a classic album, it works exactly as it should, making small steps forward while still delivering the same high levels of pristine songcraft, heartfelt performances, and tweely lovely indie pop, just about the best around in 2015. ~ Tim Sendra, Rovi

1		Just Like Them
2		Need Me The Most
3		There's No One Like You
4		I Love You
5		Where'd You Go?
6		When I Hold You
7		My Favourite Girlfriend

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