Ears Wide Open: Neon Hymns

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The alt-rock of L.A.-based Neon Hymns has a lot in common with locals Voxhaul Broadcast – prickly guitars, a sprinkling of soul and enough anthemic arch to make you think those U2 records are never more than arm’s-length away. The quartet is the creative marriage of Australians Josef Cruickshank, Simon French, Rob Ellmore and James Bowen, who convened in Silver Lake in 2009 and set to work on a self-titled EP, released last year via Layer Cake Records. The foursome is currently releasing a download a month via their website, and the latest song “Lose Your Lover” is more down-tempo than last month’s more aggressive “Glass on the Wall,” or “Whatever Happened,” the single from the EP. Neon Hymns play safely and confidently within the radio-rock idioms of the past 20 years, but at least they’re comfortable in their own skin.

||| Download: “Lose Your Lover”

[audio:http://www.neonhymns.com/LoseYourLover/LoseYourLover.mp3]

||| Stream: “Glass On the Wall”

[audio:http://www.neonhymns.com/GlassOnTheWall/GlassOnTheWall.mp3]

After the jump, stream Neon Hymns’ 2011 EP (which includes a download of “Whatever Happened”:

Neon Hymns by Neon Hymns