The Golden Republic

What you think you hear when you listen to the Golden Republic is bastard strains of the Killers, Interpol, and Nada Surf. What the band hears is an amalgam of Blur, Talking Heads, and T. Rex. But wherever the dial actually lands in the name-the-influences game, it works. So well, in fact, that the Golden Republic inked a deal with Astralwerks -- home to indie icons like Air, Basement Jaxx, and the Beta Band -- to bring the Kansas City quartet's hyphen-heavy sound (glam-New Wave-disco-punk-garage-classic rock) to the masses. Enter the group's minty fresh self-titled debut (produced by Interpol maestro Peter Katis), which boasts tracks like "She's So Cold" and "You Almost Had It" that are familiar enough to be accessible but resonate clearly enough to be memorable a week later. The band has enough underground cred to tour alongside Sondre Lerche, Nada Surf, and Idlewild, but still maintains enough aw-shucks Midwestern humility to readily reveal guilty pleasures like playing Halo 2, listening to Justified, and watching The OC. Better get to them before Interpol's image consultant does.