So she’s dropped a surname along with the rest of her former band. Shalini (formerly Chatterjee, of Vinyl Devotion) doesn’t need either, however, to nail down an upbeat pop album, as We Want Jelly Donuts shows all her former fans.

Picking up the astral pop vibe left behind when Vinyl Devotion dissolved, Shalini teams up with producer Mitch Easter—who also pens four of this record’s tracks—to deliver a set full of hooky and light indie pop anthems. Though Shalini’s solo work doesn’t jump with grab-you-by-the-ears pop firecrackers, We Want Jelly Donuts burns with a lazy and informal delicacy that makes this record a deceptively poppy listen.

Shalini dives into the everyday heartaches of the average joe with a familiarity and honesty that makes this album seethe with the bubble-gum personalbility of the greatest pop songsters, though she avoids the saccharine shallow end pop band frequently fall into when dealing with the stuff of love. Though her songs touch on the romantic glee of sunshine, Shalini keeps her feet firmly planted on solid ground on this record.

Shalini’s knack for keeping her feet on the ground, however, makes this record a bit slower to take off than many of its more pop-heavy counterparts do. From the twee guitar and lighthearted harpsichord on "Get Free," somehow hiding snappy hooks beneath its simple surface, to "Desperate For Dawn," with its thunky bass line and day-glo distorted guitar, Shalini’s songs quickly blossom from mildly interesting pop chunks to full-on dandies for anyone willing to let the songs bloom.

Other tracks find themselves immediately, however. The new romantic drum beats and spacey synths of "Emotion Bomb," and the snappy guitar arrangements of "Creepy Emily" punch listeners’ ears with the amicable pop smiles bearing the fingerprints of every hot pop act through the ages. Though Shalini puts on the happy face on all her songs, some more obviously than others, she avoids the trite dance-along simplicity plaguing feel-good pop. With ethereal vocals that dart all about the mix to the slightly off-balance compositions—how many songs can anyone name that use an electric harpsichord, anyway?—We Want Jelly Donuts provides enough honesty to make its sunshine burn with true warmth.h