Snotty, lo-fi rock and roll styled after the British invasion of the ’60s may not seem as refreshing as it did a decade ago, and with bands like Girls currently enjoying massive success, the self-titled debut from Vermont’s Happy Birthday is unlikely to evoke many strong reactions from critics. It’s really too bad, because Happy Birthday have made one hell of a summer record. Taking his cue from Apples in Stereo, frontman Kyle Thomas has crafted a seemingly endless supply of tight pop hooks that borrow from pretty much everyone. “I Want to Stay (I Run Away)” is a perfect mash of late-’80s goth-rock and California surf-pop. Thomas has the perfect voice for this sort of reckless abandon: immature, obnoxious and whiney. Opener “Girls FM” is a carefree jingle that perfectly parodies radio schlock, while the oddly affecting “Fun” ends the album by breaking through all the irony, and sees Thomas admitting “all I really need is love/ And I won’t fade away.” Let’s hope he finds it. (Sub Pop, www.subpop.com) Jonathan Dyck