Love in October – Love in October EP (2009)

Love in October have decided to arrest your ears for the sunshine season. Prior to now, I was mostly familiar with Love in October thanks to their single “Petrula The Destroyer,” an energetic rock song that tips over and gets stuck in pop music territory thanks to how piano-driven it is, especially during the chorus. With their latest EP, the band have completely ditched the piano, and with more amped-up guitars, the style assumes a grittier feel, up to and including the way the vocals and instruments are compressed to mimic more low-fidelity recordings.

This time around, Love in October keep the edge. The music benefits from a decreased piano jangling. They’re a little more Albert Hammond, Jr and a little less Ben Folds, emphasizing guitar riffs (“HEY!!!”) and bass lines that stick with you (“Dance Johannes Kepler”) rather than playing up too much of the pop aspect. It sounds like a band that spent a portion of last year loving Vampire Weekend, but in a way where they found a way to expand their own sound instead of becoming pseudo-hipsters trying to recreate something already done.

The shift isn’t huge, but it’s enough to make me really appreciate the contrast. I thought Love in October were cute before, but their new self-tilted EP plays like something just right for your window-down cruising in California weather. Perfect summer music to play over and over again.

Love in October – Dance Johannes Kepler

Preview and download the Love in October EP at the band’s website!