Charleston, South Carolina’s Company has been fortunate to meet some influential people along the way to their debut LP, Holy City. They’ve made friends with Band of Horses, Matt Pond PA, and some nice folks at Fat Possum Records, all relationships that have led to some tours and a home at a label. Not a bad collective to be associated with right out of the gate. Unfortunately, Company didn’t take quite enough cues from their networking, and Holy City is an album that lacks in plenty of areas.

All of the songs on the album, all of which are written by lead singer Brian Hannon, are produced with a lo-fi fuzz that adds a sort of charm to the tracks. However, the structure of the songs combined with Hannon’s vocal delivery make you think you’re listening to a demo by The Shins circa Oh Inverted World. While this doesn’t seem like a bad thing on paper, like the old adage of communism, it doesn’t work in practice. In fact, it comes off as more of a rip-off than a tribute.

It isn’t all bad to be associated with that sound, of course. Hannon does craft some good double-tracking vocal harmonies, and songs like “Waiting for Saints to Arrive” and “Always Bad” have an infectious driving rhythm that’s worthy of your memory. What’s more, “Ridin’ with the Devil” acts as a quiet, echoed night time affair that’s both soothing and slightly haunting. But, three out of nine tracks isn’t going to turn too many heads – at least not right now.

Overall, Holy City showcases a band that’s striving to find a sound on their own. There’s a lot of potential and growth to be had, and Company could develop into a formidable band, but they need to learn to use influence rather than mimicry.

Essential Tracks: “Waiting for Saints to Arrive”, “Ridin’ with the Devil”