Austin Sound

While the second track of The Boxing Lesson’s latest EP claims “Indie Rock is Dead,” the album does its best to keep the statement ironic. The band’s third release, the 26-minute Songs in the Key of C, is littered with small successes that offer up at least a bit of musical CPR to the supposedly deceased genre. It may not be divine resurrection, but it still gets your pulse thumping.

The Boxing Lesson has made a name for themselves by exploring genres without falling victim to any one style’s pitfalls. The first track, “Back from the Dead,” is a steady-paced rock piece with enough spacey synth to lend credence to the band’s self-professed new-wave leanings. “Indie Rock is Dead” hits slow and builds to a sonorous climax as vocalist Paul Waclawsky croons, “Its Rock 101.” The song may be a freshman composition, but simplicity never sounded so good. The backing vocals are crisp but not overly processed, and the very basic guitar parts keep the song from feeling overdone. Both “Rollerskate Suitcase” and “Climb the Ladder” have an ominous sense of urgency that, at the height of both songs, shows Indie at its most poignant. “Climb the Ladder” is subtly dark and perhaps melodramatic, but it lends a gothic feel to the album that seems to seep into the surrounding tracks. “Getaway Car,” the final track, is cohesive and beautiful, with overlaying guitar lines that are both sorrowful and suspenseful, making it a memorable send-off.