During its all-too-brief 3+ years of existence, Calgary art-rock group Women created two of the best post-punk albums I have ever heard: the self-titled Women (2008) and Public Strain (2010). Beautifully bleak and unsettled, Women's idiosyncratic sound is a captivating, often subdued synthesis of dissonant noise, atmosphere, and asymmetrical melody. At its most affecting, it nods to the hooky sensibilities of 1960s pop, masterfully reimagined and distorted through their chilly grey-sky filter: “...the sound of vintage psychedelia bleached of its color.” (Pitchfork)

The songs on Rarities 2007-2010 are some of their best, and they hint at what Women might have done next had the band not fallen apart so quickly. The highlight of the EP is Bullfight, a song originally released on the Women / Cold Pumas / Fair Ohs / Friendo split 7-inch (Faux Discx, 2011). Here, the bright, punctuating guitar notes interwoven by Patrick Flegel and the late Christopher Reimer (1986-2012) superbly complement the jaunty, rhythmic undercurrent created by Matt Flegel (bass) and Mike Wallace (drums). It's the perfect soundscape for Patrick's haunted, often inflectionless vocals, which – tuned with the guitars – achieve a uniquely melodic quality. Bullfight resonates with an affecting beauty that dares to suggest something close to optimism as it fades out. Contrasted with the desolate, subterranean palette of much of the band's other material, it represents a rather uplifting and unforgettable coda.

Extra: Hear Benelux, an unreleased home recording by Christopher Reimer.