By Sean Huncherick

Have you ever gone to a show and seen an opener that sounded like they were out of place? Imagine seeing a spoken-word poet at a hardcore show or a folk singer at a rap show. They’re talented and the crowd seems to enjoy their music, but it feels a bit different.

That’s exactly how I see Buffalo, NY’s indie-pop trio, Lemuria. Their new album The Distance is so Big fits in with the new wave of indie-pop bands the world has seen in the last three years, but their tour life shows that of a punk band. A quick look at their Facebook pages shows that instead of playing countless indie shows, they have been playing with some of well-known and well-respected punk bands including Anti-flag, Against Me!, The Queers, and the Screaming Females. Cool.

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At first listen, The Distance is so Big is just another fun and catchy indie album. Imagine taking Best Coast and Clarity-era Jimmy Eat World and putting them together on one album. It has the energy of punk mixed with the calmness of 90s indie. To put it simply, Lemuria mix two of the catchiest genres together.

The more I listened, the more I got a bit of a punk-vibe. My personal favorite track, Dream Eater, almost even sounds like a lighter, female Ramones song at times. It has a catchy chorus, simple lyrics, and is awfully quick. Brilliant Dancer is another excellent track. The only problem I have is that about half the album sounded like it was made up of filler tracks. I’d highly recommend checking out the first half of the album, but would skip the rest unless you desperately want more.

Score: 3.5/5

Lemuria: Facebook | iTunes