One Track Mind

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The more I listen to this song from Awesome New Republic‘s just-released, digital EP, Rational Geographic, Vol. II, the clearer it becomes how much this band has grown since their formation in 2002. Where the band used to take strong cues from peers such as Liars and Les Savy Fav, they have reached a point in their career where they are pooling their influences into a coherent and unique new whole, writing songs which are stronger and more consistent. Rational, the second of a trilogy of free EPs, is evidence of a band gaining maturity and learning that sometimes the little things go a long way.

An opening guitar riff which instantly calls to mind the opening of the iconic “Common People” lays the foundation for a gradual swell of pressure as drums, vocals, synths, and little flourishes enter the fray. The chorus which follows is packs the punch formerly wielded by Interpol on their better days; vocals lift into the stratosphere on the wings of of Moog-ish whorl.

Then, Awesome New Republic show their stripes. Instead of falling back to that original verse, the band treats listeners to a sexier, more dramatic rendition with vocal harmonies that are a double helix comprised of The Beach Boys and Dukes of Stratosphear. The percussion rains down with more zeal, keyboard notes puncture the background like pins attacking a balloon. ANR allows the embers to cool off a bit and then flares up into a full blaze, flying off the handle for the last third of “Florida.” It is a great pairing for the subject matter, which takes on the nonchalant bizarreness of the state’s southern region. (Or as they put it, “Florida / we all will drown / before this world is done.”)

What I like best about “Florida” is how it balances a newly acquired dose of that dirty word–maturity–with Awesome New Republic’s longstanding habit of keeping their songwriting manic enough to prevent their material from careening over the cliff of pop formality. There is an uncompromisingly artistic streak at their core, and those who find this trait compelling are just a few clicks away from some great new music.