Most often, the best music is not on the hyped band’s debut album, but on the wholly unexpected-to-be-so-damn-good underdog’s soggy EP, so when a band hails from a country that has yet to turn into a beehive for buzz bands, it might be time to take a glance at what might be happening.At least that’s the case for Dustveil, who call the oft ignored (well, at least musically) Russia home. Dustveil do draw some influence from fellow countrymen who have created a genre-of-sorts called “Russian rock,” something that vocalist and guitarist Alexei Leonov (whose bandmates include flutist Nikolai Knyazkov, guitarist Alexander Markov, and bassist Ivan Tumakov) describes as the result of Soviet-era imitations of popular acts like the Bee Gees and the Beatles. But a listen to the band’s recently released EP, “Sentimental Lies,” and it’s certainly apparent that the band are most likely big fans of a certain British band: Radiohead. Leonov sings—nay, croons—socially aware, but still terribly vague lyrics in that sort of self-deprecating, but still slightly cocky manner Thom Yorke perfected with “Creep.” There’s some snaking bass lines reminiscent of OK Computer, some fiddling with computer effects, and a pinch of kooky piano parts, but despite the heavy influence of Radiohead, Dustveil don’t come off sounding like a bizarr-o strange tribute band. Instead, they are separated from Radiohead by elements of accessibility and indie rock modesty (something Radiohead only hit, on occasion, early on) that comes from Leonov’s (whose taste accounts for 50% of the band’s sound, he says) influences, a grouping of mainly post-rock acts like Mogwai and Mum.

But Dustveil’s biggest influence could be what the band had to do without; because the only decent drummer in the band’s area is much more interested in black metal than he is in indie (or is it experimental?) rock, the band decided to just make substitutions which included electronic drums and flute. While most recent big acts are working class, Brit rabble rousers, Dustveil are proud to be doing something a little bit different than current tastes, a something that is a big stretch to tag as similar to acts like Architecture in Helsinki, which may be the next closest thing.

Leonov describes Dustveil, and the new EP, as investments made in good faith. “Our dream is to […] be known among indie listeners,” he says. With some more good faith, and bit more investment, this dream may just come true.

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