Dana Deathray

This humble little four-song EP clocks in at just over 10 minutes, but if you’ve been wondering what the next Deathray album will sound like, it offers a few clues. Deathray frontman Dana Gumbiner played everything on these four home-recorded tracks, with Deathray guitarist Greg Brown, who has his own homemade EP due sometime soon, guesting on organ on “Don’t Die.” The whispered falsetto of “Hit Song” sounds like a lost Chills track; “Kandi’s Rad” displays Gumbiner’s penchant for sugary, hard-candy, four-on-the-floor pop à la the Cars; and “Prolly Not” and “Don’t Die” evince the singer’s more pensive and gauzy side (think Nick Drake on the former and Elliott Smith on the latter). The rough-hewn feel recalls those first stellar Deathray demo recordings circa 1998. And that’s a good thing.