Dead Country

The debut release from L.A., CA four-piece Dead Country is an arrestingly earnest and mature collection of songs that mine influences from all over the modern punk spectrum without falling into any one tribute-heavy trap. From the progressive, mid-tempo melodies and blasé cool vocal affect that Alkaline Trio made famous ("Euro Thrash") to a toned-down version of unfolding Hot Water Music structures ("The Shade"), Dead Country exercise a restraint that most bands milking the same genres don't think twice about. With the power pop undertone throughout, EP is at once driving while leaving room for small bits of guitar atmospherics, as in standout track "Sea Change." These songs don't strike with an overwhelming sense of urgency, but there's a brimming sort of intensity that definitely causes you to take pause and give all the intricacies the time and attention they need to unfold and stick with you. EP is a promising taste from a band willing to embrace common influences, but unwilling to turn them into anything short of their own.