Monks on Call

There’s a slinkiness to Monks On Call’s debut EP that conjures up images of bedroom confessionals recorded in darkened closets and underneath blankets. The Edmonton-based group, formed by long-time friends Ry Dizon, Kara Marchand and Colten Bear, explores indie-rock sounds on Lakewood Rd., a collection of five tracks recorded over the past 10 years.

Marchand’s vocals are strong and sultry, at turns beckoning and coy. Bear and Dizon supply guitar and bass respectively, adding sparse instrumentation but also opening up tracks in a crunchy, snarled manner as needed.

Sex in the Kitchen is a toe-tapping folk-bent ditty about lustful yearning. Marchand shares the mic on Can’t No More, the intertwining male-female vocals plumb the depths of anguish of being separated from a loved one, aching for the catharsis only provided by a shared bed. Take the Long Way Home is the highlight of the EP: a sinuous acoustic detour through personal vices, finding the group locked into a tight groove and playing to their individual strengths. The ballad Loose Ends slows down the tempo, shining a light on Marchand’s delicate singing and sublime guitar playing from Bear. Collapse rounds out the collection with a fuzzed-out ’90s throwback about “raising a flag high for the bad guy.”

Lakewood Rd. is an intriguing introduction to Monks on Call, teasing a variety of musical paths this band can take.