Since the early days of I’m With Stupid, new Aimee Mann records have never failed to lift the spirit around here. There was a half-decade break in the wake of that Jon Brion-produced LP, but then came Bachelor No. 2 followed by a fine batch of understated pop tunes every couple years after. Now she’s back again, a cutting synth lead in tow and hummable hooks on par with Mann classics like “That’s Just What You Are”. There’s something deceptively simple to her approach that kills me — these tracks always feel distilled or pared down to their essential components before reaching our ears. Hear the title cut off her September-due 8th LP, an upbeat reaction to those two-faced troublemakers we’ve all encountered at some point called “Charmer,” over at Rolling Stone or below:
