Their MySpace page claims The Kickback to sound like “the Zombies listening to Jeff Buckley listening to a moderately-talented church choir listening to The Beatles in the ‘back to basics’ stage of their career who would stay together long enough to be influenced by the Sales brothers who wound up backing Iggy Pop in the ‘Berlin era’.” I have absolutely no idea what that means but I do know that I like what I hear. Mea Culpa Mea Culpa is a no nonsense EP who’s only flaw is the short 17 minute duration.

Each track features a smidgen of surf rock guitar that mixes a less presumptuous Vampire Weekend and The Walkmen. Frontman Billy Yost doesn’t shy away from letting his vocals strain and crack under pressure which only leads more to the appeal of the band.

The Kickback will be making their SXSW debut this month in support of their newly released, 4-track EP Mea Culpa Mea Culpa. If you get a chance to catch them down there, or anywhere for that matter, their live shows have garnered much praise from all walks of life as a power drenched event.

The Kickback – “Sting’s Teacher Years”