Seraphina Lotkhamnga on April 26th, 2011

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The name Brady Erickson may sound familiar. Any fan of his former band Sunday Drivers could tell you that their 2007 EP, “Archetypes” boasted a dark new wave rock sound that easily nestled itself into a niche of bands like Killers and Interpol. Erickson’s pipes are now the centerpiece of a new project called the Ross Sea Party. The quintet finds Erickson teamed up with multi-instrumentalist Will VanderWyden, drummer Michael Baumer, guitarist Mark Tillman and keyboardist/glockenspiel player Jacquelyn Thropay, and their intricately organic orchestrations somewhat serve as musical foil to Sunday Drivers’ heavy synth-driven tunes. In songs such as “Broken Arrows” (which was also available as part of the “To Haiti With Love” compilation back in January), Erickson’s vocal range is not only display but is nicely colored by surrounding tight-knit harmonies. L.A. may already be overflowing with folk-rock charm, but we’ll gladly welcome the Ross Sea Party to that solid list.

||| Download: “Broken Arrows” or get the entire “Plains of Id” EP at their bandcamp page.

||| Live: The Ross Sea Party plays April 28 at the Bootleg Theater, supporting A House for Lions and Jules Larson.

Photo by Nick Maggio