South of Ramona
Step Inside
Noisetrade
Street: 08.01
South of Ramona = Mumford and Sons + Black Angels
Aside from the cheesy 25-second intro that kicks off this five-song EP, this record is made up of some pretty good tracks from the local four-piece group. Although the first couple of songs, “Carnival Court (Step Inside)” and “Purple Sky,” feature a punk reggae vibe, the remaining tunes are different in style. When the song “Lonesome Soul” begins with a banjo and acoustic instruments, it’s hard to imagine that the soft, folk sound is coming from the same band, which now sounds like the Avett Brothers. The band’s sound changes styles again for the final two numbers, “I, Narcissus” and “Shangri-la,” as it adopts more of a psychedelic feeling, resembling the sound of CCR at times. All in all, there are some good tunes on Step Inside, but with the multiple styles found on the record, it seems like the relatively new band are still figuring out their own sound to settle on.