It’s funny how we sometimes assume that when a band signs a record deal, they’re an up-and-coming group without any credentials to their name. Then you run into bands like The Advice--the latest addition to the InPop Records roster--who defy that logic, and you begin to realize that, on occasion, “new” bands aren’t all that new at all. 

 

Since their formation in 2003--that’s eight years ago, friends--this talented quintet of guys has made a name for themselves as a successful indie band before signing their record deal in early 2011. They’re notably known for the release of their first single, 2010’s fun and ridiculously catchy “Your Love Sets Me Free.”

 

Fans of the group (also known as “Advisors”) were delighted to hear that the band was working on new music shortly after the label announcement earlier this year. To tide over Advisors while putting together their first full length project, The Advice provided its July 2011 release, The Advice - EP. 

 

The short-but-sweet extended play starts off with the groovy and horn-laced “Your Light Shines,” which is the perfect representation of the “rock and soul” sound this band is known to deliver. Lyrically, the song brilliantly showcases the sharp vocals of Matt Houston,, the group’s lead vocalist. 

 

The fun pop tune “Forever Changed” shares of encountering God’s redeeming grace, and how our lives can never be the same afterwards--calling out to God to take us to a higher level. The EP comes to and end with the aforementioned “Your Love Sets Me Free,” a song most fans will already have heard. It’s the driving force behind this EP and highlights a band that is sure to become one of Christians music’s bands to watch in the upcoming year. 

 

The Advice - EP is unlike any debut Christian music has seen in quite some time--original, quirky, upbeat, and inspiring all at once. The harmonies between all five guys are seamless, and their rock/pop-meets-soul delivery doesn’t disappoint. The shortness of the EP might be my only complaint, but it only gives me and other fans of this group something to look forward to with their debut album. If what’s to come sounds anything like this EP, The Advice is sure to have a great and long-lasting career in this industry.