The Soft Pack

This garage-rock-influenced quartet swapped their moniker from the Muslims to the Soft Pack, but their penchant for playing accidentally retro indie rock hasn’t changed, as evidenced by the 10 catchy tunes on their self-titled debut. “C’Mon” parties with rock ‘n’ roll filtered through the familiar tones of '90s noise-rock’s love of vintage gear from the ‘60s and ‘70s. So while their music echoes bits of 20th- century Pavement, Dinosaur Jr. and Sebadoh, singer Matt Lamkin sings with a new fire in his belly about the subjects orbiting his 21st- century existence. “Down On Loving” successfully blends ‘50s Fender surf tones with jangly ‘80s paisley pop, while songs like “Flammable” and the standout “Parasites” are refreshing revelations of pure originality. Like their contemporaries Surfer Blood, the Soft Pack’s ability to contrast the bygone cool of old-school college rock with subtly stylistic ideas firmly planted in the here and now gives hope for future branches of the indie rock family tree, while warranting need for a “Classic Indie” format on future radio stations.