The Mood

Three-fourths of this high-energy quartet hail from South Florida, including its charming, boyish frontman Marco Argiro. All legs and arms, the natty 25-year-old doubtlessly inherited his impeccable style from his father, longtime proprietor of atelier Moda Mario, on Fort Lauderdale's swanky strip of Las Olas Boulevard. And the entire band's got its image coordinated, something like a Voltron of mod foot soldiers.

But never mind looks and panache (which The Mood possesses in spades) — they crank out similarly polished, finely honed nuggets of just-retro-enough power pop. With deft, concise melodies; a liberal dose of harmony; and adequate accents of keyboard and tambourine, the tunes on the band's self-titled, self-released EP are instant toe-tappers and hip-swivelers. They have landed the band, completely on its own indie terms, lucrative licensing deals, like soundtracks for MTV's The Real World, as well as a management deal sharing a roster with the likes of Earl Slick. Although The Mood decamped to the Big Apple a couple years ago, the bandmates haven't forsaken hometown pride, returning often to play one-off gigs. This week, they're giving us four, spread across both Miami-Dade and Broward.