The songs are fawns birthed by Luke Hensleigh who cut his musical teeth in the late nineties in Champaign, Il when Braid, The Poster Children, and Hum were turning the town’s music scene on its head. After fronting a regionally successful band in the midwest, he has now formed a collection of experienced and purposeful musicians called Near in the Austin area.

The result is demonstrated in the Above the River EP which was recorded in late 2008. The songs are innovative but also lean on inf...