By Ian Bremner

It’s easy to feel happy about Durand Jones & The Indications. Their music makes you happy when listening to it and you feel happy for the band itself. The band was not really supposed to be this type of band after all. When 5 guys who met at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, international touring, critically acclaimed records and budding stability in the music industry was not necessarily the intended outcome.

Durand Jones & The Indications‘ self-titled record was released in 2016 on the Midwest soul label, Colemine Records. It was a gritty, energetic effort that is truly impossible not to enjoy. The majority of its sales and impressions on fans came the old fashioned way; record stores playing the hell out of it, forcing patrons to ask, “excuse me, what is this gold I am hearing?” Getting discovered in music stores and by word of mouth is every artists’ dream, but that’s certainly not a common occurrence these days. After the group’s slow and steady climb, the album was re-distributed globally by Dead Oceans in 2018.

Since then, Jones and crew have been all over the world, belting the gospel for audiences of all sizes. For Durand Jones & The Indications’ follow up record, they had a handful of new tools at their disposable, as well as a growing faction of eager ears. American Love Call is the new record for the group. It’s full of all the same soul, but with a smooth, bold, vintage pop finish. For one, the group incorporates new sounds like a string section on tunes like Don’t You Know. It has the same spirit and grit, but American Love Call has a glossy polish over the top.

Perhaps the biggest difference is the full incorporation of drummer and singer Aaron Frazer. His solo moniker, The Flying Stars of Brooklyn, garners fans in his own right with his buttery, high falsetto. His song Is It Any Wonder? on the first record is a fan favorite. On American Love Call, Frazer nearly shares lead vocal duties. He and Jones take turns singing on tracks and the two pair beautifully when singing back up and harmonies. On the song Court Of Love, Frazer slows it way down in a longing love tune with Jones ever-present in the background. The pair bouncing back and forth throughout the record are simply subtle changes of pace and adds to the cohesiveness of it in full.

For a band still relatively new, and already far exceeding any expectations they had for themselves, Durand Jones & The Indications have firmly entrenched themselves in the modern music landscape. There is no shtick, no “retro-soul” label, but just 5 record nerds making the music they know and love, from the basement to the big stage.

Listen to American Love Call via spotify

Watch video/Listen to Don’t You Know

Watch video/Listen to Morning In America