Halifax's (not sure I've ever written that before) The Burdocks play catchy, stop-start indie pop complete with snappy percussion and concise rhythm changes. They like to jump from one thing to another several times in the same song, recalling the early-to-mid-90's Midwest math-rock craze.

But The Burdocks are way too poppy to be thought of as any offspring of Don Caballero and/or June of '44. Their melodies are more similar to Built to Spill's and Modest Mouse's, albeit without the prolific guitar solos. The Burdocks have been around for quite some time (8 years, to be exact), but their new album, What We Do Is Secret, is so listenable and easy to rock out to that it's likely these guys will see some U.S. fanfare thrown their way.

The Burdocks play Knitting Factory, Thursday, December 1st.