Indian School – “The Cruelest Kind” [EP]

I’m a guy who resists change more often than not. I find something that I like, hold onto the fondness of it and, unknowingly, become complacent to the point of shying away from anything that could alter my opinion. It was well over a month ago when I first raved about Indian School’s delightful ballad “Head Right” on Twitter. I’ve also spent the last month shrugging off listening to any other track on the California quintets debut EP, The Cruelest Kind, for fear of it not holding up to the banjo backed ditty that led me to them in the first place. Eventually, I breathed deep, popped my ear buds in, and embraced the remaining 5 tracks – needless to say, I’m grateful I did.

The band’s headmaster Art Barrios certainly isn’t a resistor of change. His critically well-received punk act Audio Karate went defunct a few years back, he got into two car accidents, and the months of recovery that followed forced him to find solace in a cheap Netflix account; yet, from the combined carnage of all of these unfortunate events, he built Indian School.

Influenced by the likes of The Replacements and My Morning Jacket, the band blends indie-punk with a little sunshine pop-rock to give a heavy Strokes vibe – a tired comparison, but it works. Their sound holds significant substance and is laced with admirable freshness, all without scattering stylistically. Their entire EP can be streamed for absolutely no pocket change on SoundCloud (they’ve even been kind enough to upload two acoustic tracks for your listening pleasure). So, please, go forth and (unlike me) don’t wait an entire month to accept these gents into your life.

Track Listing:

01. Elvis
02. Wind You Up
03. High Low
04. Rob Your House
05. Cocktail Flu
06. Head Right

Run Time: 23:40
Release Date: March 5, 2012

Check out the album: ‘The Cruelest Kind’