detecting success
Austin indie-rock outfit Little Radar's debut, Up In Arms, makes big waves
Little Radar, an Austin indie-rock outfit, blends distorted guitars, up-beat rhythms and powerful, restrained vocals to produce a highly energetic sound that begs singing along. A strong mixture that leads to a well rounded and irresistibly catchy sound.
After a successful three song EP, Kill A Buffalo, the band set themselves on a path of success that most local acts struggle to find. With their debut album, Up In Arms — which we have embedded below — they not only continue down that path, but do so in leaps and bounds.
Stream Up In Arms in its entirety, below:
The album's opening track, "Spitfire," kicks things off with a quickly strummed guitar riff leading into vocalist Sean Hale's soft, sultry melody that invites listeners to hear his lament over not quite making it. Toward the end of the song the band creeps into a breakdown that effortlessly blends back into the main guitar riff, creating a strong finish to the three minute track.
Track #2, Welcome, my favorite, pairs Hale's halting lyric with a tightly picked riff, backed by Derek Woodruff's solid drumming. In a great production move, the band adds a soft, rhythmic-clapping to the latter half of the song, which really helps drive the energy.
Proving they can slow things down a bit and still keep the listener interested, the bands follows the high energy of the first two tracks with a well done semi-ballad, Cup O' Tea, akin to something you would hear from Bright Light Social Hour. Halfway through, the track transforms into an upbeat number driven by Woodruff's pounding drums, finishing with bendy vocals that have an entrancing effect.
Overall, the album delivers a tightly produced, multi-layered sound that rivals much of the indie-rock stuff released today. With spot on guitar work from Sean and Trevor Hale, propelling drums from Woodruff, smooth, subdued bass grooves from Grant Himmler and pretty, sing-along vocals from Sean and Trevor, Little Radar is set to explode not only on the local music scene, but anywhere fans of indie-rock may preside.
The band will be headlining a CD release show, alongside The Couch and The Baker Family, Sunday at The Mohawk. Doors are at 9 p.m.
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Little Radar's EP, Kill A Buffalo can be heard here, via bandcamp.