Music is an art form, period. This is an ideal that is very obviously lost upon modern-day performers and listeners. Originality and raw creativity have taken a backseat to lavish self-imagery, autotune, lip-synching, and outrageous publicity stunts to distract listeners from the fact that these performers are not artists in any capacity. Mainstream music seems to be about anything and everything but art.

Various Hands is out to take it back.

Various Hands takes indie rock ideals and melds them with bouncy, progressive dance beats, ambient keyboard work and impressive guitar techniques combined with lead vocalist/guitarist Jeff Nations’ unusual, evasive lyric style to create a sound that is, very much, a textbook definition of the term, “Their own”. Hailing from St. Louis, Missouri, the band has taken some giant steps in its short time together. From network TV placements to regional touring to garnering airplay on 300+ FM radio stations across the U.S. and Canada with their debut EP, This Party Will Be Fun., Various Hands has shown that they have what it takes to compete in a cutthroat industry. Their sophomore EP, Hypoluxo (released July 22, 2014), is a valiant effort that will cement their place as a band on the rise in the national scene.

“Water all ‘round. No get out”. That is the literal translation of the Seminole word, “Hypoluxo”, which serves as the title for Various Hands’ sophomore EP. “There really couldn’t be a more perfect title for this record”, explains lead vocalist/guitarist Jeff Nations, “It describes so many things about this release and sets a great tone for it”. Hypoluxo presents a band that has found their sound and embraced it with every fiber of their being. The lead single, “Memphis Decisions (Be Cool)”, finds the band exploring new instrumental territory, incorporating an Omnichord and bassist Adam Wirth’s intricate, ping-pong bassline whereas tunes like, “R.M.A.” and “Lipstick” remind listeners of the band’s fun, simpler moments. “The Last Few Days Of This Splendid Town” explores darker tones and lyrical subject matter while “The Perils Of Time Travel” and “The Fleeting Starlight” show Various Hands’ gradual move toward a more ambient, synth-laden sound that is present throughout Hypoluxo. “The music on this disc really does pull you in and once it does, you’re encompassed by it. There’s no getting away from it”, states guitarist/keyboardist Zach Meier. Drummer, Tom Pike, adds, “This is an album that you not only WANT to listen to front to back, you HAVE to.”

Hypoluxo was released July 22, 2014 and is distributed worldwide by MondoTunes, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group/INgrooves.