The Cars - Door to Door

Door to Door is The Cars' last album with their classic lineup, a 1987 bid to rediscover the scrappy spark of their Boston beginnings, here as a brick-and-mortar exclusive pressing.

After the high-tech sheen of Heartbeat City, Ric Ocasek produced the record himself, with help from keyboardist Greg Hawkes, recording at Electric Lady in New York. David Robinson was back behind a real drum kit, and the band often played together in the room, giving the songs a looser, more live-wired feel. It would be the final Cars album for more than two decades and the last to feature Benjamin Orr's voice.

You Are the Girl is the standout, a sleek, harmony-rich single that showcases the band's knack for melancholy pop hooks. Strap Me In charges ahead on twitchy new wave energy, while Leave or Stay and Ta Ta Wayo Wayo dig up songs dating back to the group's earliest demos, finally given the full studio treatment they always deserved.

Ocasek's wry, deadpan vocals and Hawkes's bright synth textures are all present and correct, wrapped in tight, punchy arrangements.

Underrated in its day, it's a satisfying coda to one of new wave's smartest and most stylish bands, and well worth revisiting with fresh ears.