It's always good to hear an indie band that doesn't wanna play it all safe, emo and twinkly. When these bands cut loose and rough it, while still sticking to the main stylistic elements of the genre, you usually get amazing stuff like The Hotelier or Have Mercy. Blis. is one of those bands and in just four tracks, you get quickly acquainted as to why they're being talked about so much on the underground circuit. They've got an edge to them that begs for more music.

Dynamic, airy guitars? Check. Screamo vocals backing up a gentle lyrical overlay on the lead? Check. These constitute the bulk of what Blis. does so well. Modest Mouse, American Football and Pedro The Lion come to mind at different sections on the record but if I were to pinpoint one major familiar sound to Blis. I'd go to It Looks Sad (Tiny Engines). There's a breaking British output on the mic that left me wondering how the hell these guys hail from Atlanta. These four dudes definitely deliver a bouncy, wonderful piece of pain. Angst-drenched and quite telling. "Stationary Life" and "Floating High Above My Bed" echo this in spades. Anthemic, catchy but so grainy that you can taste the DIY aesthetic at hand. Feels much more real than the overly polished indie bands parading around right now (with all due respect).

Sad. Gloomy. To the max. But topped off by crisp, frenetic kit work and massive bass lines. Again, the gang vocals when unleashed really show the strength of the band and it's a pleasure to see that they didn't want to settle in the rhythmic, melodic and twinkly comfort zone. They've got the chops to do so and quite well, I might add, but when it comes to this indie quartet, they feel much more fearless than their contemporaries and peers. "You Can Tell A Lot" is the perfect closer to a record that is a very big statement from a band that should be ascending the indie rankings quite rapidly. And quite soon. A pleasant surprise, indeed! Watch for these guys.