Name an Arizona band that has hit it big.
Jimmy Eat World Gin Blossoms, The Format, - all are bands that are good at what they do and attract legions of fans.
Yet none of them are exactly known for having a unique sound.
Dear and the Headlights, fronted by charismatic singer Ian Metzger, is fast on its way to becoming a local legend after only a couple of years on the scene.
The buzz surrounding the band is deafening, and will likely get even louder with the release of its first full-length record today.
But at its worst, Dear and the Headlights doesn't sound much different than its peers.
Bob Hoag, who has produced classic albums for Arizona musicians like The Format ("Dog Problems"), Adam Panic and Limbeck, contributes top-notch work on "Small Steps, Heavy Hooves," but his magic touch can't make the band's classic indie-guitar-rock sound much newer or fresher than it isn't.
The band recorded the album with Hoag on its own dime, planning to self-release, after a lack of label interest followed three national tours. However, the band eventually signed last November with indie-label Equal Vision, home to national acts like Coheed and Cambria, as well as Phoenix's own Goodbye Tomorrow.
The divisive factor for new fans is Metzger's voice, which often suffers from the same trendy tremolo as Clap Your Hands Say Yeah's Alec Ounsworth and other modern-day, indie rockers.
On weaker tracks like opener "Oh No!" Metzger sounds insincere, almost lazy - not good when the band behind him sounds the same way.
Later in the album, Metzger overcompensates - at some points even seemingly channeling the out-of-control vocal histrionics of My Chemical Romance's "Gerard Way."
"Small Steps, Heavy Hooves" has a few surefire hits that are sure to make the girls swoon - and rightfully so.
"Sweet Talk" is a great, passive-aggressive song about jealousy that highlights Metzger's vocal range. "It's Gettin' Easy" builds from soft piano into a lush, pop-rock set piece somewhere between Rufus Wainwright and Limbeck.
"Run In The Front" is the album's best song, a propulsive, emotional-not-emo anthem that sonically references Taking Back Sunday and Incubus. It's much better than those influences would suggest and should become a monster alt-rock radio hit if local stations support it.
Songs like "Run In The Front" hint at a true, unique niche for Dear and the Headlights - emotional, indie rock for the masses that avoids cliche and defies genre conventions. Let's hope the group's next release covers more new ground, and that fans nationwide give them a chance.
Dear and the Headlights is currently on a nationwide tour, returning to the Valley on March 26 to open for Plain White T's at the Clubhouse.
Reach the reporter at: samuel.gavin@asu.edu.
