Indian School

The Cruelest Kind EP

Hopefully, you were tuning in when Audio Karate released 2004's Lady Melody, an awesomely roaring rager of Cursive-meets-Jawbreaker punk rock. (If not, go get it. Now.) It’s an appropriate preamble to The Cruelest Kind, the debut EP by Indian School. This particular band is more or less Audio Karate under a different name, with new guitarist Anthony Leach (who joined a resurfaced Audio Karate in 2009) and pianist Eric Wood. It's just about as good as Lady Melody but in its own ways.

While opener “Elvis” channels the Strokes with its playfully stomping, punchy arrangement, the EP’s diversity is both abundant and appreciated. The band integrate the most subtle alternative country-rock twang on “Wind You Up” and closer “Head Right,” while Wood's assistance conjures shades of the E Street Band for the romantic and wistful “High Low” and its energetic crescendo in the bridge. While the ’80s-flavored “Rob Your House” has a stadium-ready pairing of the Cure's blurry synth and the Edge's rippling guitar, the chorus also has some of frontman Arturo Barrios' old snarl, making for the best chorus on the EP. The band jam out hard on the somewhat moody “Cocktail Flu,” which almost sounds like it could have been lifted from the infamous batch of Brand New demos leaked in 2006; granted, that might just be a shared influence of the noodly '90s output from indie rockers such as Built To Spill and Modest Mouse.

At the top of this review, we strongly advised getting Lady Melody immediately. While that recommendation won't ever change, Indian School's debut EP should be No. 2 on your list the next time you’re hunting for new music.

Walnut Tree http://walnuttreerecords.bigcartel.com/

“Rob Your House”