Raised By Wolves EP

Listening to Austin indie pop collective Voxtrot is like taking a seminar in U.K. indie pop of the last 20-plus years. Jammed into their sound are the influences of the Smiths, Belle & Sebastian, the Sarah label, the Cure, New Order when they play guitars, and various shoegazers. Unlike many bands that are so in thrall to their influences that they sound like extremely whimsical karaoke, Voxtrot inject enough energy and personality into this EP to make it exciting and fresh rather than academic. The five songs are all well written, ably played, and sung in a charmingly indie accent. "Raised by Wolves" is the kind of rollicking epic that would make Belle & Sebastian proud and is the best song here, though "The Start of Something" (a jangling rocker with an undercoating of mournful horns) and "Long Haul" (a sweet ballad with glockenspiel and male/female harmony vocals) aren't far behind. Only "Missing Pieces" misfires, and that is only because singer Ramesh Srivastava decides to do a spot of yodeling in the chorus. Never a good decision, but it doesn't ruin the record — as it remains a pleasant and breezy introduction to a group for which indie pop fans should have high hopes.