The Twin Cities has long been a fertile ground for independent rock music. While most of us are familiar with the humble beginnings of Soul Asylum, The Replacements, and The Jayhawks, there are literally hundreds of other extremely talented bands who flirted with fame but never quite made it commercially.
Currently, Big Big Hats and Tancred are all the rage in the world of indie rock and making Minnesota proud, but St. Paul's The Persian Leaps should be right up there with them, as their brand of catchy indie rock and powerful hooks make this fifth EP nothing short of stunning.
“Picture My Reaction” starts off with a post-punk influence before moving into power-pop fun with some crunchy guitar work that gives off all the feelings of a tune from The Bomb. “On The Downside” follows with a more Brit-rock feel, where excellent percussion and bouncy, slinky bass lines make this similar to an updated version of The Jam. “Even Less” brings even more fantastic guitar work and a kinetic rhythm section for a more breezy that feels not unlike The Lemonheads on Steroids.
The last two tracks vary a bit from the first three, but in the best ways. “About The Lions” is a punchy, moody rock song with more emphasis on atmosphere, and “Pushpins” closes out the EP with the darkest moment, where their pop sensibilities are met with a looming, ominous appeal.
There is an undeniable influence from the early days of alt-rock here. If this were the '80s, there's little doubt The Persian Leaps would be on Twin Tone Records; if it were the '90s, they'd be regulars on 120 Minutes. Instead, what we have here is a criminally obscure songwriting team that will make fans with admirers of early R.E.M., Teenage Fanclub, or the Merge Records roster.