Personally I never heard of this band, so after checking out a few songs of their self titled debut I was prepared for this EP. Straylight Run play a somewhat familiar kind of indie-rock, altough personally I would say that it also has singer-songwriter influences, altough in a bit more catchy rock form. The EP starts of with a piano/vocals song where Michelle Nolan takes the main role. Personally I found the track a bit on the melodramatic side, sounding a bit more pompuous than the contents deserve to be. In other songs, the band seems to rely quite a bit on the dual vocals between John and his sister, and sometime it works really nice but sometimes I personally found it a bit "too much".

The biggest change on the EP compared to the bands first cd is the fact that the band has been experimenting with drumloops and electronic effects, with "Hands in the Sky (Big Shot)" being the best example of that. Trent Reznor goes Indie-Emo? Who knows, but its definitly a great song and maybe my personal favorite of everything the band has done so far. The EP ends with a Bob Dylan cover, "With God On Our Side". The lyrics are pretty much related to the soldiers in Iraq. Not my cup of tea but I can understand why people appreciate these kind of songs.

If you’re into a band that writes personal songs, in a tad typical indierock fashion but who arent afraid to experiment, I can advise you to check out this band. Its definitly not for the metalheads among us, but it is quality. If Straylight Run continues the trend they have set with songs as "Hands In The Sky" it wouldnt suprise me if they become one of the more original sounding bands in their scene.