Love Inks is a minimalist pop trio from Austin that isn’t afraid to be earnest. E.S.P. (Hell, Yes!/City Slang), the band’s debut full-length, makes this abundantly clear. Warm bass lines, analog drum patterns, calm, understated guitar melodies and the evocative vocals of Sherry LeBlanc comprise all that Love Inks needs to telegraph its subtle, affecting M.O. That is to say, love—or the pursuit of it—need not be something to be shy about. Indeed, where drowning everything in reverb has become the production choice of an entire generation of indie artists, masking not only feeling but, in some cases, the ability to perform competently, Love Inks is content to bare it all. Remarkably, the end result is less akin to having a friend constantly tell you more than you want to know than it is like finding real intimacy for the first time. It’s quiet but engrossing. And on that note, we leave you with “Blackeye,” one of the standout tracks from E.S.P., which Love Inks is touring in support of beginning on Wednesday in Tempe, Ariz.
“Blackeye” (download):
