Infinite Shuffle

One of the most-annoying trends of the last 5-10 years in the indie music world is bands giving themselves incredibly vague, one-word names.

I’m looking at you, Girls, Women, Boy and The Men. (It’s as if these bands are actually part of one, big family.)

Anyway, the latest no-name band is, coincidentally, called NO. Not to be confused with a number of similarly named bands, including a post-punk outfit from Australia that hit big in the late ’80s, this indie-rock foursome hails from Echo Park in Los Angeles and has an EP and some singles to its name thus far.

On that EP, Don’t Worry, You’ll Be Here Forever, the most obvious comparison is The National. However, where those Brooklynites’ sound seems to be rooted in punk, NO leans a little poppier.

The above album was released in 2011. But it wasn’t until late last year, with the release of the single, “What’s Your Name”, that the band really started to create some buzz.

On that song, and a few others it recently recorded during a Daytrotter session at SXSW, the band develops a much more anthemic sound, similar to that of White Lies, with slow-burning indie ballads that explode at just the right time.

NO are still a supporting band for now, but it shouldn’t be long before they become a headlining act.