Seraphina Lotkhamnga on October 14th, 2011

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The combination of pop sensibility and heavy rock have yielded some timeless songs. However, it’s a vague formula, which is why only some bands have discovered the right balance. For a fairly new band in the scene, L.A. trio Monstro Flora has managed to release a debut EP titled “Between the Stars” which successfully pairs these two elements one song after another. Perhaps it’s because producer Greg Richling (The Wallflowers) has lent a hand in the studio, but it’s apparent that Erik Flores’ bright yet commanding vocals which soar over the distorted guitar melodies, rhythm-heavy keyboards, and headbanging percussion have also built the sturdy foundation for this record. These beginning sounds from Flores, Steve Grohne and Simon Runge are ’90s-influenced but not nauseously nostalgic, and their tune “Twenty One” particularly presents pop and rock in a sonic sensation that tingles somewhere in between our liking for the Verve and Ride.

||| Download: “Twenty One”