Wild Moccasins – Skin Collision Past

Skin Collision Past combines new material with Wild Moccasins’ previously released Microscopic Metronomes EP (2009). Across the whole, the Texan quintet serve up little that will sound new to those familiar to the strain of US indie rock associated with bands like Modest Mouse and The New Pornographers. The interchange of Zahira Gutierrez and Cody Swann’s boy-girl vocals does give the songs some distinguishing qualities, but for the most part the songs here pan out fairly predictably.

Wild Moccasins do have a robust energy, however, which ensures that these songs stand up to scrutiny. Psychic China rattles through its soulful chord progressions in a joyfully infectious way, and My Favourites Die somehow manages to indulge in a jaunty “da da dum”-style chorus without sounding irritating. Nonetheless, enthusiasm can only take an LP so far, and Wild Moccasins need to show a bit more imagination with their sound to really stand out.