Viking's Choice: InTechnicolour, 'We Are Losing Sleep'

InTechnicolour works in that strain of stoner-metal that's less atmospheric and weed-fueled and more progressive — you know, for the kids who banged heads to Kyuss and nerded out on Rush. It's well-trod territory, with more than a decade of records looking to ISIS' Panopticon, Mastodon's Leviathan and Baroness' Red Album. On its debut EP, InTechnicolour's members don't so much reinvent the wheel as rebuild it.

"We Are Losing Sleep" settles into a desert groove quickly, but its pulse owes more to the frantic chug of Fugazi than it does to peyote-induced riffage. Tobie Anderson channels the soulful vocals of someone like Josh Homme or even Mark Lanegan, and is capable of belting one moment and cooing the next, as heard in a middle section that drops out save for his voice and sparse cymbals.

But, as the band gears up for the final minutes, InTechnicolour begins to break down the groove in subtle counterpoint that, upon deeper focus, is quite thrilling. The choppy, palm-muted figure locks in and out the main riff, sped along by a smoldering rhythm section, doubling back on the anthemic chorus. With an assist from members of the math-rock-ish bands Delta Sleep and The Physics House Band, the musicianship is tight and technical, but also aware that melody drives the song. It's an extremely impressive first outing for InTechnicolour, making the Brighton, U.K., band one to keep an eye on.

Lend Me A Crushed Ear comes out Nov. 20 on Small Pond.