Ethers Ethers Black Vinyl Edition

Calling Chicago band Ethers a "supergroup" might be hyperbole to many outside the Chicago music scene, but for those who have been keeping score in the past few years, a pedigree of bands like Heavy Times, Outer Minds, Radar Eyes and The Runnies seems like a dream team.

After the dissolution of his band Heavy Times, guitarist & songwriter Bo Hansen joined forces with husband & wife musical/life partners Russell Calderwood & Mary McKane & drummer Matt Rolin to concoct what would become Ethers' eponymous debut album.

A self-described "bad time band", Ethers' debut consists of twelve songs of ragged, soulful rock and roll; heavy on hooks, with stark arrangements and sticky melodies that hang with an unexpected resonance.

Instant earworms like opener "Empty Hours", "Rip O " and "Modern Dating" recall bands like soulful punks Royal Headache or Asheville troubadours Reigning Sound, while third quarter-album high point "CBD" rages with nervous energy like a long-lost Feelies "Crazy Rhythms" outtake.

Tunes like "Carry What You Kill" and album closer "Something" are soaked in melancholy, but peppered with cynicism and charm.

The band oozes a world-weariness, but the tunes yearn with a hopeful ache for better days ahead.

Recorded in the raw, with very little audio adornment by Chicago engineer Dave Vettraino & mastered by Melbourne legend Mikey Young (Total Control, Eddy Current Suppression Ring), the spartan production allows the songs to be the main focus.