"Any time a punk band starts experimenting, that's the era of the band that I love," remarks Dirty Ghosts guitarist and songwriter Allyson Baker while discussing the genesis of Let It Pretend, the band's sophomore effort for Last Gang. Lead-off track "Some Kids" leaps from the speakers with tribal drums, a loping bassline and the clatter of a kicked over beer bottle. The tune spotlights Baker's plaintive vocal melody and an earworm chorus over layers of echo-soaked, interlocking guitar. Nodding to the downstroke-heavy rhythms and ethereal textures of The Stranglers and The Police on "Battery" and the pulsing, synth heavy title track, Baker shows off a spare six-string approach that places each slashing chord and ringing note with deadly economy and accuracy. Though tracks like "Light Like Speed," "So Shallow" and the ferocious "Cataract" bear the unmistakable imprint of pioneering synth-punk acts like Devo and Baker's avowed cornerstone influence Chrome, the latest Dirty Ghosts effort places an elevated focus on nuanced song craft and pop melodies carried by her growing confidence as a lead vocalist.