Red Collar: The Hands Up EP (2007)

New Wax


In today's vast expanse of indie music, getting proper exposure can be an impossibly daunting task, and unfortunately, many talented and deserving bands slip through the cracks. While North Carolina's Red Collar seems to be keenly aware of this harsh reality, there is a depth apparent in their music that easily distinguishes them from the rest of the flock. The band's first release The Hands Up EP, is a post-punk triumph, drawing from influential bands like Fugazi and Jawbox, while maintaining a unique and intriguing voice. Lead singer Jason Kutchma is captivating, with a weathered yet melodic every-man quality that is never more apparent than on the album's gem "Used Guitars." The song is a bittersweet requiem for the unfulfilled dreams of youth, with Kutchma disclosing, "There's a boy looking for a great buy/ Just another boy with a dream, he'll be quick to realize/ That we were made, to fail every day/ Maybe what we want is just too much to ask/ I once reached for stars but now I sell these used guitars." The song is about accepting life's failures, a statement that seems ironic coming from a band that seems destined for surefire success. The Durham quintet is set to record their full-length debut this winter with producer Brian Paulson (Wilco, Archers Of Loaf, Superchunk), and if this EP is any sort of indicator, Red Collar will be on the indie-radar for a long time to come. -- Capt. Obvious

Listen:
MP3: Red Collar - Used Guitars
MP3: Red Collar - Stay

Tags: Red Collar, The Hands Up EP