Grime and glory, love and lust: Take a tour of wailer Elizabeth Harper’s vision of New York in electro-pop trio Class Actress’ new Journal of Ardency.

Harper slings sexy croons over the five-track EP, showcasing her own homage to ’80s synth-pop. The result is an ethereal mix of Madonna and Britney Spears, with a dash of Karen O. And judging from her range of inspiration, Harper isn’t even sure herself of what she’s presenting; she vacillates between sly, catlike come-ons and hip-shaking ragers, switching from coffee-shop background music to club soundtrack in a matter of seconds. It’s a shame Harper’s vocals are often indistinguishable, as her musings are noteworthy. It’s most evident on the guitar-based “Let Me Take You Out,” on which Harper ponders the connection between childhood and adulthood (“For a six-year-old coming off a water slide/ The climb back up is like Mount Everest”). The group immediately switches tact, and Harper purrs her way through “Careful What You Say,” shakily coaxing “Careful what you say, oh dear/ It’s too late now, you’ve broken my heart” like an ultrasensual Spice Girl.

Tracks continue to waver between oversexed and repressed, telling a story of a girl stuck in the city heat, pondering love and passion in a world populated by phonies.

The album could easily be mistaken for a Sofia Coppola film soundtrack, reminiscent of Air and New Order. Each track bleeds into the next like a continuous stream of techno, conjuring up the portrait of a silken Manhattanite scrawling thoughts on a bed with cigar in mouth, wondering what could have inspired Alicia Keys so goddamn much.