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As recently as two years ago, caUSE co-MOTION! looked like the kind of bland, local New York act that spends its entire, half-assed lifespan opening for other, more exciting bands. Because it couldn't manage to stir up much of a reaction from crowds anxiously anticipating a big-name headliner, it brought a private cheering section of girlfriends and buddies to all performances. And while it wasn't offensive enough that you'd go out of your way to avoid it, you wouldn't show up early to catch its set, either.

But something unusual has happened between then and now. Instead of resigning itself to Brooklyn's vast graveyard of broken band dreams, caUSE co-MOTION! has, simply put, become good. It is comprised of the same scrappy, lo-fi hipsters they've always been, but, on It's Time!, they've finally succeeded at imbuing their loose, punk-tinged pop songs with a sense of wild fun. Tracing a well-curated path from caUSE co-MOTION!'s earliest releases to its current--and most promising--output, the collection of singles and EPs showcases a band that isn't afraid to live for its influences. The songs are lightning-quick collages of tinny, jangly Orange Juice guitars, boppy Beat Happening vocals, and lovelorn Buzzcocks lyrics. CaUSE co-MOTION! has begun to mediate these elements with its own point of view, though, slowing down and distorting power pop's classic one-two punch and indulging in delightful moments of noise.

It's impossible to tell whether caUSE co-MOTION! will continue to revel in the ecstasy of influence or slip back into uninspired pastiche. At the very least, the band is worthy of the fleeting celebration so perfectly expressed in the collection's title. It's Time!, indeed.