AV Club are a group of Los Angeles-based boys who proudly tout the indie/pop rock label and formed as a mashup of now-defunct LA acts Beastlee and Family Tree/Transit State.

Their debut EP, Whale Talk boasts a great sense of melody and so many good pop influences that it’s hard to say that the band “sounds like” anyone in particular.

But where frontman Austin Eastlee used to do the Doug Martsch/Stephen Malkmus thing, his vocals are now shoved to the fore and he belts out lines like, “oh so what if we touch/if it’s only one touch/no there’s nothing wrong with a little lust” with a newfound confidence.

There are lovely little guitar nuggets and great synth leads to be found all over these songs. Have a listen for yourself:

[audio:/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/04-Dont-Be-Afraid.mp3]

AV Club, “Don’t Be Afraid”

• Tag: Audio, AV Club, MP3