Kevin Bronson on February 26th, 2010

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The Morales brothers could feel resentful. The core members of the rock quintet Astra Heights moved to L.A. over five years ago and quickly got signed to Universal Records, only to have the release of their debut album bog down in a major-label quagmire. For two years they spun their wheels, the album “Good Problems” finally getting a digital release.

Now they are back, independently, with a new album “Ship of Theseus,” and maintaining a sunny disposition. “We’re not bitter at all – overall it was a fun experience,” says bassist James Morales, who with brothers Mark and Timothy and Lyle Riddle and Bernard Yin spent much of last year working on new material. “It’s kind of exhausting being on a major label because you have to jump through so many hoops just to make something happen for your team. … Now we’re able to make music and get it out there right away.”

• ||| Download: “Under His Bed” – or visit Astra Heights’ Bandcamp page to get the whole record.

The title “Ship of Theseus” refers to the paradox that asks whether an object whose parts have been replaced is essentially the same object – an oblique reference to Riddle having replaced a fourth Morales brother, Joshua, on drums. The music itself, however, feels like a continuation of what Astra Heights started with “Good Problems” – a crisp, glam-pop-on-energy-drinks hybrid deeply rooted in the ’60s and ’70s.

Like many young bands with a classic rock sound, Astra Heights has recently focused on song licensing. In addition, the fivesome recorded two songs last year with bigtime producer Jack Douglas (they’re not yet released).

“A lot of the music just came from the whole label story, how it’s changed us over the years, whether you’re the same person when things like that happen to you, and how you evolve,” James Morales says. “When I step back and listen now, it’s amazing how the songs came out.”

||| Live: Astra Heights, joined by Lemon Sun and the Romany Rye, celebrate their album release with a show Saturday at the Bootleg Theater.

Photo by Osceola Refetoff