All Chiefs, No Indians is an independent band formed in 2013 in Colorado. The founding members Nick Story (Formerly of Painted by Numbers) and Justen Howard (formerly of UK indie darlings “Empire of Lights”) were brought together by an internet add titled “Wanted: Epic Rock Band Hell Bent on World Domination”. Neither joined that band.
The two instead went on to recruit Mic Carroll, Ben Batchelor (two members of the legendary boulder band “Tommy & The Tangerines”), and veteran Detroit rocker Connor “Danger” Brown to form a decidedly more dynamic project that would do anything from wall of sound to quiet hum, from dance to drone and everything in between.
In an effort to establish a little street cred, and introduce themselves to the world the band independently released their debut single “The Wave” in 2013. Now All Chiefs, No Indians release their EP titled “The Danger Mission EP”.
From the opening strains of “Union”, this EP sets off with soaring energy and even when the pace slows, as it does for the hypnotic “Tokyo”, you can cut the group’s creative tension with a knife. “The Danger Mission EP” is not merely for the highbrow art-rock set either and it’s due mostly to the hard-driving standards such as “Danger Mission”, “The Wave” and “Union (Zack Dare Remix)”.
Fans love to dissect and categorize music but the fact of the matter is, the band sounds so totally different from track to track, that they do in fact present an irresistible problem of taxonomy. All Chiefs prefer to call their sound, ‘Mirage Rock’. This record is for the fan of rock n’ roll who loves memorable hooks accompanied with amazingly hard driving Pop Rock.
I know when you listen close, that you won’t miss the inspiration and influence of “Tokyo”, perhaps the best track on the EP with its subtle progression, incredible bass hook and harmonious beauty. Not to mention the sweeping, all-engaging build-up towards the end of the song.
All Chiefs, No Indians music has an air of seduction and slinkiness to it. They never lose their identity, as they pull off majestic numbers like ‘The Wave’ without ever becoming pretentious. Their sound is like the aural equivalent of glass bricks, hard and shimmering at the same time -raw, hard beauty.
Overall the EP is stunning; the songs are uniformly excellent, taken on their own terms – always compact and interesting. And the lyrics are great to; a balancing act of wit, depth and entertainment.
“The Danger Mission EP” is rocking, challenging and scrumptiously captivating. I think that anybody who takes their rock music seriously should have this EP in their collection. All Chiefs, No Indians provide a source of endless musical pleasure!
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