In 2003, America invaded Iraq, SARS invaded our lungs, and a record titled Give Up by The Postal Service invaded the hearts and minds of aspiring songwriters everywhere. If the record had drawbacks, it was that Ben Gibbard and Jimmy Tamborello’s perfect marriage of indie and electronic elements was, perhaps, a little too perfect. Here, exposed, was the blueprint for dressing up singer-songwriter fare in bleeps and bloops, a reason to ditch the acoustic for the chic of a synthesizer. It was a fun, simpler time in music, but it wouldn’t last.

Fast-forward to 2011. We are knee-deep in Ariel Pink and Dirty Projectors, dream pop and chillwave. Pop has gone avant-garde and lo-fi (again). It is anything but fun and simple, but don’t tell The Halamays. The husband-wife duo, consisting of Katie and Patrick Watkins, are, in their own way, the punkest band I know. They are ignoring the trends and following the Gibbard plan. The Halamays are asking their fans to pay $7 for their recently released debut EP, “This Boring Party,” and considering the context, it’s probably worth every penny.

Record-opener “Sun Goes Down” begins with a Matt Sharp synth line. When Katie Watkins’s vocal comes in it’s obvious she is channeling Jenny Lewis. We’re then hit with a throw-your-hands-up-and-dance power pop chorus that would make Mates of State proud. The song crescendos, of course, in a downbeat electronic instrumental. The title track, next on the EP, follows practically the same formula but both songs sport melodies that are inscrutable.

Tracks three and four, “Sleeping in the Kitchen,” sung by Patrick, and “I Heard My Mobile,” by Katie, former keyboardist/backing singer for Very Truly Yours, are somewhat companion pieces. Each is a sigh-filled ballad painting portraits of domestic life. Patrick is staying up too late, a depressed homebody. Katie sings, “I know if I answer, then I’ll have to answer to you. I don’t always have the right answer for you.” Gosh. If that doesn’t twist your insides just a little, check your pulse.

It’s a little melodramatic, but The Halamays are mining some rich material here. They cover the gamut of phases a young married couple might encounter— boredom, excitement, disconnects, and, of course, a shared interest in television programming. “This Boring Party” closes with “Whispers,” a veiled ode to the show “Lost,” but I only know that because the band told me. Otherwise, it’s a worrisome track whose sad electronic repetitions leave the listener staring off into the distance, the way any good story about sharing a life with someone should.

It’s a great end to what is a promising beginning for The Halamays. They may not be doing what’s cool in music right now, but if I had to put my money on any Chicago band to succeed in the traditional sense of mainstream success, believe it or not, it’d be them. They deserve credit for crafting catchy pop songs that are, with the right promotion, radio ready and, most important, worthy.