Transpose (EP)

Southern California's Bad Suns debuted their angsty yet catchy rock sound with the four-song EP Transpose. The bandmembers were all in their late teens and early twenties at the time of Bad Suns' 2012 formation, but took cues from the wizened, world-weary sounds of post-punk luminaries like the Cure and Elvis Costello when writing their earliest compositions. Transpose was recorded with producer Eric Palmquist, who had previously worked with artists as wide-ranging as Trash Talk and the Mars Volta. The vibrant production highlights the quartet's knack for hooks, especially on the slinky midtempo groove of "Cardiac Arrest." The EP precedes a debut full-length, slated for release sometime later in 2014. ~ Fred Thomas, Rovi