I’ve taken to giving London stoner rockers Strauss a two-syllable pronunciation for their name. As Stra-uss, the five-piece seem to revel all the more in the Kyuss influence that shows itself within the tones of their self-titled and self-released debut EP. A collection of six tracks that mostly hover around either side of five-minutes long — the exception, “Trigger,” is 6:30 — Strauss‘ Strauss is in deep with the aforementioned desert rock godfathers, the guitars of Charles and Nano owing both tone and riff construction to Blues for the Red Sun‘s blend of garage fuckall and distorted weight. Bassist Bill gets in on the action as well, particularly with his fills winding around the leads of “Trapped Outside,” but there’s also a metallic edge to what Strauss do on their first outing, and “March of One” showcases a more aggressive sway.

The vocals of Stef Sacchetto will be a point of contention for many listeners. While Charles, Nano, Bill and drummer Doc seem set in their sand-hued approach, Sacchetto comes across less sure sonically, whether it’s on “March of One” or opener “Burning Sky.” Mostly rhythmic, there are touches of melody following the riffs, but it’s a punkish take that seems to be waiting for the rest of the band to take on an anger that never comes. I’m not going to rip into somebody figuring out their stylistic niche on what’s been alternately billed as a debut EP and as a demo, but the disjointed vibe never quite evens out by the end of closer “Stop, Pause and Play,” which musically offers some of Strauss‘ most engaging material, working in a laid back exploration atop a solid drum line that moves outside some of the expected desert rock convention and winds up the stretch of the EP that shows the most promise overall, including from Sacchetto, who sounds more confident both in the earlier, quieter going and as he lets out a few screams on either side of the three-minute mark, prior to a jazzy interlude and a finale of forceful riffing.

If he’s a screamer, then I would say scream. Trend has moved away from abrasive vocals for the last five-plus years, but one, who cares?, and two, even if it’s a basis to start from in developing his own cleaner approach, it might at least help the comfort factor in the band’s early going. Either way, Strauss shows the group have a steady grasp on desert tones, and as London’s got a bit of a stoner boom going these days, there exists in their method a potential to stand themselves out from the crowd. You can check out Strauss as part of the 24/7 stream on The Obelisk Radio now, or grab yourself a fancypants free download from the player below, carefully lifted from their Bandcamp page. In any case, enjoy:

Strauss, Strauss EP (2013)

Strauss on Thee Facebooks

Strauss on Bandcamp