Abbot Kinney

Abbot Kinney is a rock band that thrives on big melodic vocal hooks, a heavy, intricate rhythm section and an ambitiously grand scope, and while lead singer-songwriter Jared Swanson was certainly influenced by the “alternative” label of yesterday, his music wholly belongs to the 21st century.

The group’s new EP The Night not only challenges the listener’s conception of what an indie rock song can sound like in a scaled-down, irony-charged modern music scene; it also represents a sonic evolutionary step forward. 2011’s self-titled debut, Abbot Kinney, was a solid introduction to the world: polished production values, swirling, complex instrumentation, thematically consistent lyrics. The new EP is more raw, more personal, more anthemic, the sound of a songwriter coming into his own and finding a distinct, unmatched voice, one full of longing, hope, sometimes doubt but never resignation.