Interiors put a new spin on old sounds

Album: The Interiors Artist: Interiors Label: 54-40 or Fight

You may not recognize members of the Interiors.

Their faces might not look familiar -- the band isn't plastered across glossy magazine pages, and they haven't made many local appearances -- but, most likely, you've heard its sound before.

The Chicago, Ill.-based trio -- composed of lead singer Chase Duncan, a Georgia native, bassist Collin Jordan and drummer Brian Lubinsky -- will make its way onto the stage at Jack Sprat Cafe in Chapel Hill Oct. 3. This is the band's first full-length album, having self-released an EP, but production wasn't simple.

The day after signing a deal with label 54-40 or Fight, wind smashed a metal door onto Duncan's hand; surgeons had to amputate half an inch from his left index finger, and the band put the album's production on hold.

But his hand healed, and the band finished the self-titled album, which has a sound that, although by no means bad -- the album is cohesive from track to track, melding together various influences -- is obviously sampled from many of its contemporaries, some of which are Talking Heads, Fugazi and the Pixies.

The Pixies influence is obvious, especially on tracks like "Ghosts" and "Crashing Through," songs on which the introductions have gritty, down-South guitar riffs. Fugazi's heavy-riff sound comes through in "Shooting Off" and "Powerlines," a song that is arguably the album's catchiest.

The influence that's not mentioned, however, is the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Duncan's voice has an intonation that Anthony Kiedis perfected and, to some extent, put a musical copyright on. The Interiors sounds like what the Red Hot Chili Peppers would sound like if it tended toward a softer, more mellow timbre.

And that's not a bad quality. All of the Interior's influences are bands that have made names for themselves in some genre and at some time. They're bands that are still widely known, even more than 15 years after their starts.

It's these same qualities, though, that make the Interiors' songs sound like you've heard them before. Not once or twice, but many times.

Fortunately for the trio, there's still a large fan base for these bands, and there are people who are eager for something that takes a more modern approach to early 90's signature sounds.

The Interiors flawlessly meld various techniques together. Duncan's droning, lo-fi guitar noise combined with Jordan's rambling bass lines converge to create one sound -- raw, shoegaze in a new era, or like a forward-thinking garage rock band.

However, The Interiors prove they're not a one-trick pony. "A Crooked Line" and "All The Cities" are both reggae-infused tracks in which Duncan's voice takes the lead and isn't overpowered by heavy instrumentation.

And in moving from track to track, none of these influences sound out of place. Like the South is a melting pot of cultures, the Interiors seems to be a melting pot of sounds.

Each instrument originates from various genres and areas of the world, but the collective result is cohesive and interesting. The lyrics, though kitschy ("You hung your shame ornament-like from the mirror/ well that's a funny way to decorate"), are catchy and showcase the band's ability to lightheartedly enjoy its work.

With better production, the band could add "smooth sound" to its list of good qualities.