Backnbloom's only self-released its self-titled debut EP, and it finds itself at a critical, and usually irreversible, fork in the road: Does it go one way and establish itself as a force in the underground snyth-pop world, or does it retire the better part of its artistic ambitions and chase down the hope of becoming a big-time, major-selling club or pop sensation?

Because, really, Backnbloom could tip in either direction, though finding success down either path isn't a sure thing for the baby Los Angeles duo. Singer/violin player Lori Steele sure croons like she wants to be the centerpiece of a million-selling act, and the EP's production kowtows to those fantasies, putting her vocals unnecessarily prominent in the mix; it wouldn't be too much of an issue if she stayed on task, though most of this EP finds her running the scales as if she's more comfortable as an indulgent piano-bar singer than at the fore of an electronic duo.

If Steele's indulgences can be reigned in and her presence minimized in the mix, Backnbloom could find some sort of Left Coast equivalency to Goldfrapp or Ladytron, depending upon how instrumentalist Alberto Beka plays it. There's hints of chilly synth-pop thrills in "Am I Pretty," the EP's standout track, and "Hollywood Blvd," an effects-rattled number, that could flourish into something of which the underground could be proud. Then again, there's "New September," which kicks up the electro-rock side of things with a large guitar presence, that catches Steele losing her ice-queen cool to fizzle as a pop-punk descended diva with a bubblegum voice and no poise.

The future might not be exactly wide open for Backnbloom -- it still needs to polish, polish, polish whatever direction it chooses to head -- but the duo has its options open. You can only keep all your options free for so long before you need to commit, and that time's quickly approaching for his Los Angeles duo.