Line-up: Danny Dunlap (Vocals, Guitar), Cordon Simons (Guitar, Vocals), Josh Power (Drums), Brandon Tucker (Bass)

Hometown: Austin, TX

Story: Following on the heels of 2013’s self-titled debut EP, Austin’s Gentlemen Rogues are back with A History So Repeating: six songs of chiming, pulsing guitar pop, hooky as hell and proof that this four-piece knows its way around a melody and a fuzzbox.

The EP packs the usual Gentlemen Rogues punch, but also finds the band – guitarist/vocalist Danny Dunlap, guitarist/vocalist Cordon Simons, bassist Brandon Tucker, and drummer Josh Power – venturing into shoegaze and folk, and even exploring synthpop territory with a cover of Erasure’s "A Little Respect." A History So Repeating is the sound of a band bursting with ideas and influences, moving forward with shark-like necessity.

"A few albums that we were listening to a lot going into the studio were Superdrag’s Head Trip in Every Key, My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless, and The Replacements’ Tim," says Dunlap. "How those albums shaped this record isn’t necessarily obvious, with the exception of the shoegazey moment in ‘Cap in Hand,’ which was, admittedly, my attempt to channel Kevin Shields for a minute!"

Energy and immediacy were touchstones for the band with this set of songs. "For A History So Repeating, it was really important to us that we record the entire band live, and do as few overdubs as possible," says Dunlap about the EP’s production. "We knew it would sound good, sonically speaking, but we wanted it to feel good, too. We captured what Gentlemen Rogues sounds like live. You’re hearing us playing together and loud, in one room."

Producer Kevin Butler ... Read more