Indian Rebound

Describing music as “indie” is becoming harder and harder these days. Is it a genre? Used to be, but I don’t think it is anymore. It’s more about the process and surrounding efforts of a group rather than the sound of their music.

But if I had to peg any group I’ve heard recently as “indie”, it would be Indian Rebound. They fit both what the ’sound’ is and what the approach to making their music is. I’ve only heard random tracks of theirs, but I’m really excited to hear the EP they’re making that will be released on cassette with a code to download the MP3s.


The cassette release had me sold. After just recently picking up of Montreal’s latest album “False Priest” on cassette, I was impressed. Who the hell can actually listen to these things? (besides us recording geeks with our Tascam Porta 02s still kicking around) That’s some indie shit right there. (even though of Montreal has way surpassed the “indie” tag)

Indian Rebound takes it the necessary step further by recording everything in their drummer’s bedroom. Who doesn’t love being in a full on studio with the best gear available to you? But some of the best music comes out of a comfortable home environment. (Beirut – Gulag Orkestar anyone?)

We All Want Someone To Shout For had an early jump on these guys and Will was definitely onto something. Their sound is far surpassing what many could have ever produced in their high school years. This young duo is onto something great and I think it will be shown with their new EP.

If you’re going to be at CMJ don’t miss out on their shows:
Oct 24th: We Listen For You Showcase @ Pianos 2:00 pm
Oct 24th: We All Want Someone To Shout For Showcase @ Public Assembly 9:30 pm

Have a listen to two tracks from Indian Rebound. ‘Sitges’ off of the new EP and ‘Make You Mine’:
Indian Rebound – Sitges
Indian Rebound – Make You Mine - Dyson Sound

“Sitges” - Indian Rebound (Sunshine / Sitges)

This is a track by our homies’ band Indian Rebound. Their most recent tracks are all fairly different. “Sitges”, my favorite, is very blissed out. It’s a perfect end-of-summer jam. The song reminds me of two other great bands, Beach Fossils and Wild Nothing. Another song of theirs I enjoy, “Make You Mine”, is much more energetic and happy. You can download “Make You Mine”, and read more about them here, here, and here. - Paradise Manners

Mr. Jonas might find he has much in common with Ethan Levenson, 15, who opened his Cake Shop set with a cover of Girls’ “Lust for Life,” one of last year’s hipster anthems, obscuring the profanity slightly, but not completely. Mr. Levenson, who wore a loose gray cardigan and whose songs were filled with mopey inner-life-centric lyrics, might not want to talk to Mr. Jonas, though they probably have similar record collections. - The New York Times

From WAWSTSF:

Earlier this summer I introduced you to a young up and coming NYC duo known as Indian Rebound. The band consists of Ethan Levenson & John Kallen, two friends who have an incredible gift for penning youthful anthems full of depth. It’s hard to believe that something this good is coming from two high school kids. Well, you better start believing it. Indian Rebound have got the goods.

They first caught my attention with an honest set of demos that showed plenty of promise. This week they posted their first single release on their myspace: “Make You Mine/I’m Not Yours”. Both songs are exuberant displays of strong songwriting and smart musicianship that is as focused and solid as they come. These guys are the real deal.

I once called Indian Rebound a mix of Girls and Elliot Smith, and I still stand behind this statement. With strong songwriting, and an obvious ode to 60s/70s california rock, the band creates a sound with timeless appeal. After drawing inspiration from the classics, the band was able to create a sound that is familiar, yet completely fresh. With tight interplay between Ethan’s guitar riffs and John’s timely percussion, there are plenty of tight hooks and melodies to pack a devastating punch. (It should be noted that they record as a full band in the studio).

The boys recorded two more songs during the same sessions that brought “Make You Mine/I’m Not Yours”. You can hear one of them “Sunshine” over at their myspace. They allowed me to share “Make You Mine” with you guys for free as their first legal download ever. You can stream “I’m Not Yours” right below it. These songs are as equally impressive as they are instantly gratifying. One can only imagine what they can do over time.

Don’t let Indian Rebound get out of your radar. They are most certainly one to watch over the next couple of years.
- Welistenforyou

Earlier this summer I introduced you to a young up and coming NYC duo known as Indian Rebound. The band consists of Ethan Levenson & John Kallen, two friends who have an incredible gift for penning youthful anthems full of depth. It’s hard to believe that something this good is coming from two high school kids. Well, you better start believing it. Indian Rebound have got the goods.

They first caught my attention with an honest set of demos that showed plenty of promise. This week they posted their first single release on their myspace: “Make You Mine/I’m Not Yours”. Both songs are exuberant displays of strong songwriting and smart musicianship that is as focused and solid as they come. These guys are the real deal.

I once called Indian Rebound a mix of Girls and Elliot Smith, and I still stand behind this statement. With strong songwriting, and an obvious ode to 60s/70s california rock, the band creates a sound with timeless appeal. After drawing inspiration from the classics, the band was able to create a sound that is familiar, yet completely fresh. With tight interplay between Ethan’s guitar riffs and John’s timely percussion, there are plenty of tight hooks and melodies to pack a devastating punch. (It should be noted that they record as a full band in the studio).


The boys recorded two more songs during the same sessions that brought “Make You Mine/I’m Not Yours”. You can hear one of them “Sunshine” over at their myspace. They allowed me to share “Make You Mine” with you guys for free as their first legal download ever. You can stream “I’m Not Yours” right below it. These songs are as equally impressive as they are instantly gratifying. One can only imagine what they can do over time.

Don’t let Indian Rebound get out of your radar. They are most certainly one to watch over the next couple of years.
- Strangers in Stereo

Will: So, tell me about Indian Rebound. How did the band come together?

Ethan: Indian Rebound came together when John and I were in the same physics class. I was doing so poorly the teacher wanted him to be my peer-tutor. Then we just gave that up and started playing music when he was supposed to be tutoring me.

W: So did you guys find that you had similar tastes and wanted to embark on something similar?

E: Yeah, exactly. We generally had similar tastes. We also listen to a lot of different stuff, so when we play, our influences compliment each other.

W: This leads me to my next question: What bands/genres would you say influenced Indian Rebound?

E: I’m currently really into old pop music and song structures, like The Beach Boys, The Beatles, and The Kinks. T. Rex is another large influence to my songwriting.

Out of all the current music out there, I’d say that GIRLS plays a heavy influence on me. I think they are one of the best bands in the world right now. They write incredible pop songs. Also, although we don’t sound anything like Yeasayer, they influence me too.

Even like The Shrangri-la’s are an influence on me. I have a wide range of influences

W: Awesome. So you guys have done everything through the do it yourself model, correct? How has it been getting the music out to the “masses”?

E: It’s been difficult, because we started out as nothing. All the music blogs help us get our music out though, we are very grateful for that. It’s still a really difficult thing without any sort of marketing.

W: Yeah it’s tough with all the music blogs and bands out, its so easy to get loss in the madness. But, at the same time, its easier than ever to get heard.

So what do you guys plan to do to try to get your music heard?

E: We just try to play as much as we can and always make our performances the best we can make them. You never know who is in the crowd. I played a show with Total Slacker a couple weeks ago, and there weren’t too many people there – but there was a guy who really liked what we played and now is going to put out around one hundred 11 minute Indian Rebound cassette tapes under this label he is trying to start called Whack Slacks. So you never know.

W: That’s great. Do you guys have any specific plans in mind in terms of releasing your music? Free downloads, 7 inches, digital downloads?

E: We released Make You Mine as a free download (which was a WAWSTSF Exclusive! Grab the mp3 here). We either want to do two 7 inches or one EP all coming with free digital downloads. We can’t really do that all ourselves, so we’re hoping to get some label offers soon.

W: So you said you already got some offers, that’s pretty great. What are some labels that you really dig? Any that you dream of being signed by?

E: Good question. My favorite label is this pretty small indie label owned by Matador called True Panther Sounds. It has a great roster – Girls, Magic Kids, Tanlines, Delorean and a lot of other really cool artists are signed to it. This guy named Dean Bein started the label from the bottom up and from what I can tell, he does quite the job. It would be incredible if I could be on that roster, so I suppose that is my little “dream” for the next year or two. Other labels I really dig are Captured Tracks, Mexican Summer, Fat Possum, and Lefse.
My favorite big label is probably Domino.

W: Well you said Domino, so as an Arctic Monkey lover myself, are they a reason for that?

E: Oh yeah. I used to be obsessed with Arctic Monkeys. It’s almost on the embarrassing side so I don’t want to get to into it, but they were huge for me before. I’ve seen them around six times. Also Animal Collective is one Domino, and I love them. I also saw this band called Chief that opened up for Dr. Dog at Governor’s Island that got singed to them too. All great bands.

W: So I hate to bring this up, but I have to ask, do you think you guys still being in high school impacts the way people judge/listen to your music?

E: I can’t tell yet. I’ve played show with people in their 20’s and they seem to like it just as much or even more than kids my age. My biggest fear is being grouped into bands that are my age, because 99% of them suck. I think the best bands that are in high school are the ones that are totally unknown.

I just wanted to be treated as a band by other bands and not a kid-band. If anyone listened to our music they would know we aren’t like any other teenage bands.

W: Don’t worry, once people hear your music, all prior doubts will be thrown out the window.

E: Hopefully.
W: Where does your songwriting inspiration come from?

E: The songs can really be about anything. A lot of them are pop-love songs when I find really fun to write about. One song of ours, Sunshine, is just about enjoying the summer with your friends on the beach. So they can be about anything.

My songs come together from me alone playing guitar and then finding a riff or chord progression I like and just going with it. I basically finished the songwriting of Make You Mine while we were recording it. The Sunshine solo was improvised. But generally speaking, I’ll write simple chords bring them and then bring them to John to write the drum parts. Sometimes I have a lead guitar written out and sometimes I write the lead guitar and bass while we record. Every song was different.

W: I posted your songs and there was one particular comment that said you guys sounded strangely similar to The Smith Westerns. What do u think about that comment?

E: Funny story about that. I sent a message to Christopher Owens about what kind of guitar he was using, and he replied back to me saying how much he liked our music and that it reminded him of The Smith Westerns and The Strange Boys. I don’t really know what to say about it. I feel like some people think that we are so similar because we are both young. Although they are three or four years older than me, John is 18 so they are around the same age as John. I like the Smith Westerns though, so I’ll take it as a compliment. We obviously aren’t trying to sound like them or anything though.

Their record is really low fidelity, and we aren’t trying to emulate super lo-fi music. We took time producing it and everything.

W: Yeah, they are a good band. That is definitely a good band to get compared to.

W: So. how have the live shows been so far?

E: The live shows have been getting better and better. When we first started them we just played our instruments and tried to sound as good as we could. This past summer we really started to interact with the crowd and I noticed myself getting a lot into the shows. I think the new music I’ve been writing is a lot more compatible with dancing and stuff like that so it’s easier to get into to show.

W: Do you guys see the band as your future, or is it just something that your living in the moment with right now?

E: I want it to be. John wants to become a music producer but I’m trying to get him more excited and dedicated to the band. You can’t force people though. I just don’t want this to end in a year because he is applying to college right now. But I definitely would love this to be what I do in life.

It feels really natural and I can’t see myself doing anything else to be honest.

W: That’s great that’s what matters

W: So with that, I will ask, what are the plans for Indian Rebound in 2011 and beyond?

E: My goal is to have a successful SXSW. I really hope we get accepted and play as much as possible. Also, I want to get in contact with more labels and stuff like that. (Hit me up Dean!)

A good thing would be to go on a tour opening for a bigger band.I would love to open up for Yeasayer. That’s a little goal of mine. I think our styles would compliment each other. - We All Want Someone To Shout For

Ethan Levenson and John Kallen are the duo behind Indian Rebound and I was mega surprised after hearing their stuff to discover they were still in high school, they sound wise beyond their years with a refreshing maturity, but a fun maturity...still singing about girls and stuff so don’t worry. They’re taking bedroom born, lo-fi, indie to another level cos these guys songs LITERALLY have been shaped, produced and mastered in their bedrooms. But that gives it all the authenticity, sincerity and intimacy that early songs are supposed to have and bands strive to get later on. Standout track for me is ‘Sitges’, lovely. I’m really impressed, especially thinking about what they’ll sound like in a couple of years, but for now these charming songs sound light, affable and youthful and have got that sweet 60’s radio sound nailed. I'm excited about Indian Rebound's future, tipped for the top.

Indian Rebound are a young project, you only started playing together in November 2009, how difficult have you found the process of getting the band out there and listened to and securing gigs?
Ethan: It hasn't been incredibly difficult securing shows, but it hasn't been incredibly easy either. I try to get the music listened to as much as possible, but at a certain point it just becomes out of your control. We don't have any PR people or anything like that, so it is hard to market ourselves. We don't even have a manager and we book all our on shows. We do everything ourselves, its very DIY.
John: Tough most of the time, building hype isn't easy, but its worth it to get our sound out there. Having a voice in this community and being heard is what its about.
Are there any themes or sources of inspiration for songs that you seem to naturally find yourselves revisiting a lot?
Ethan: I think I have a nice range of things I write about. Our newest song which we just released last night on MySpace 'Sitges' is about this little beach town outside of Barcelona called Sitges. I was there this past June and was really blown away by it, the town was just so beautiful. Sunshine is just about hanging out with friends in the summertime. Other songs are about some inevitable topics - like the ladies!
Who did you grow up listening to?
John: I was deprived of good music as a child and instead given strange supplemental antedates as inspiration, including Seal, Yanni, Celine Dion, Peter Gabriel, and Genesis. I think that's why I have such a wide interest in all types of music today.
Ethan: My Dad is a huge Kinks fan, so I have been listening to The Kinks throughout my childhood. He played all the classic stuff, you know - like The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Ramones, and Television. Surprisingly though, my Dad never really played The Beatles that much.
And what're you guys listening to now?
John: I listen to a lot of Jazz. Coultrane, Miles, Max Roach, Joe Henderson, Art Blakely, too many to name. Aside from Jazz i try to get my ears close to relaxed music such as Sufjan Stevens, M. Ward, and Justin Vernon. Pretty much anything i find to be true and genuine.
Ethan: I just played a show with this band Total Slacker and I think they are great. Their singer/guitarist Tucker really goes wild on stage and gets really into it, which I loved. My new favorite band as of this past week is Dominant Legs. It's the project of Ryan Lynch, the guitarist from Girls and Hannah Hunt. GIRLS are one of my favorite bands and I think it's really rad that Ryan is doing Dominant Legs too. The new Magic Kids record just came out, which I really like. True Panther always puts out good stuff.
What do you both do in your spare time apart from the music?
John: If I had spare time, I'd probably take long walks on the beach, sip on freshly squeezed lemonade, and tend to my grandmother's garden.
Ethan: I'd be so down for that. It would be sweet if my Grandma had a garden. When I'm not busy with this stuff, I just like the mellow out. My main activity is just being at John's house and chilling with his Mom and his brother. I was there so much this past summer with all the recording, I felt like a temporary Kallen.
Who would be your ideal, dream collaboration?
John: Dream collaboration? Michael Jackson.
Ethan: Wu-Tang! No, probably Michael Jackson also, but Wu-Tang would be dope. More along our style of music though, I would love to do something with Alex Turner.
Think back to your first gig as Indian Rebound, where was it and how did you feel?
John: I was nervous. It was sold out and Ethan and I had only practiced for a couple hours.
Ethan: I guess it was cool but our set then is just so different from the music we are doing now. Like at that Cakeshop show it was an acoustic guitar, and like tamborines and shakers. A couple of the songs I had played then were really not very great. Now I like to get really into the live shows and interact with the crowd.
What's the response been like from people at your school?
John: You can answer this one.
Ethan: Okay, well we have really been investing in this band this past summer, so I don't really know what the response will be like when we start school next week. Hopefully people will dig it, but if they don't we really couldn't care less. We do this for us.
Can you see your futures, career wise, being musically based or have you got any other plans and aspirations you wanna explore?
John: I'm headed into music production. Be it big or small, I just want to record.
Ethan: I am trying to get him to change his mind! I really want to pursue this because this is my dream. Hopefully John will see the light soon!
And what're the near future plans for Indian Rebound...apart from world domination ha?
Ethan: Our goal for this year is to get the attention of labels that I think are doing good things with their artists. My favorite two labels are True Panther Sounds and Captured Tracks as of now. I really like what they do. I would love to be on True Panther, it's a little goal of mine. I think the guy that runs it, Dean really loves what he does and that is what it is all about. I don't see any record deals coming for a little while though. My other main goal is to have a very successful SXSW - hopefully we'll get in, play a lot of shows and blow people's minds.
You can find all their material thus far on their myspace and watch out for new stuff soon! Meanwhile, ENJOY THIS!
- JUSTBEAPERSON

I listened to Indian Rebound, a NYC duo, on the internet and was amazed at their sound! My excitement grows to hear a new band that has something there.... talent! I wanted to know more about them and they graciously answered my questions. Thank you Ethan and John! Everyone wants to be heard and they should be!

Who makes up the band and where did you meet each other?
-The band is made up of myself, Ethan Levenson and John Kallen. We met in high school, John was assigned to be my peer-tutor in Physics class because I sucked at physics. As we became better friends we just played music during those "tutoring sessions". So I guess that is how it all started.

What's the story behind your band name?
- I don't think I'm ready to give up the story yet!

How long has your band been playing for?
- We started messing around playing music together around November of 2009 and our first show was at Cake Shop January 6, 2010. Back then, our name wasn't Indian Rebound, we just played under the name Ethan Levenson. There was actually a review of that show in The New York Times, which was really exciting for us. They compared me to Nick Jonas though, which was kind of lame.

Do you guys have a song-writing process?
-Well, I write all the songs and lyrics just with a guitar. Then I'll bring them to John and he'll write the drum parts. He also produces everything. Everything up on our MySpace right now was recorded in John's bedroom with him producing all of it.

What artists do you most admire? Did they play a role in influencing the sound of your band?
-Yeah, artists I admire defiantly play a role in our sound. I would say the artist I currently admire most would be Christopher Owens of Girls. He's definitely one of my biggest role-models. Chris and JR are just so cool and they are really different from all the other bands out there right now. I saw them at Webster Hall in April, and it was one of the best nights I've ever had. A lot of older bands are a big influence with our songs, like T. Rex, The Beach Boys and The Kinks. I also admire Alex Turner a lot. Everything he does turns to gold in my opinion.

What are you listening to at the moment?
- I'm really into Beach Fossils. I think Dustin Payseur is awesome. I'm playing a show with their old guitarist in a couple days, which I'm really psyched about. His band is called Red Romans. I've been listening The new Morning Benders record is fantastic, Chris Taylor produced it, which is sweet. I love the new Best Coast and Wavves records. I saw Dr. Dog a couple of nights ago at Governors Island in the rain, which was really incredible.

Was the 1st song you ever played a cover? If so what was it? Or did you jump right into song writing?
-I'm not positive which the first song we ever played together was, but I'm pretty sure it was Jocasta by Noah and The Whale.

What was the 1st song written as a group & do you still play it?
-I think it was Tyranny, but at that time we called it Untitled Song because I couldn't think of a name for it. We still play it.

Are you signed or unsigned?
-We are unsigned, looking to get signed!

Do you think bands and their fans are more connected or more disconnected as a result of the internet?
-I think more connected, the internet is really great for new bands to share their music. I think 90% of every new band I listen to I've discovered online. This interview wouldn't even be happening right now if it wasn't for the internet, would it?

What troubles have you faced to get to where you are today?
-Well we haven't really faced any troubles that have impacted our music. I hope that people take us seriously regardless of our age. There are bands our age that write music that couldn't be more different from the kind of music we write so I hope we don't get grouped in with those bands.

Are you working on an album right now? If so, when is it suppose to be out?
-No, we currently aren't working on making an album. We just finished recording four songs, three of them are on MySpace and the other one is still being mixed. 'Make You Mine' is now available as a free download on this blog called We All Want Someone To Shout For. It's one of the best music blogs out there, I really love it.

~Anything else you may want to add?
We hope everyone loves the music we make. Indian Rebound also plans for world domination!
- Creeping Elm

It's hard to separate a band from their creative predecessors these days. Only after working hard at a unique sound for years, touring for ages, and going through a good period of drudgery will the constant comparisons fall to the wayside. Which is why so many young bands start off sounding old and tired beyond their years... But when you find a set of young musicians that manage to wear their influences on their sleeves and still make it sound new and fresh, it's a rare find, and one that is worth noting.

Indian Rebound is one such band. Equal parts Apples in Stereo and Girls, this (very) young group successfully manages to blend early-90s indie riffage with late-00s nostalgically sunny reverb to make something that perhaps isn't new when broken down, but when synthesized sounds like something utterly original and surprisingly well-articulated.

With their new single "Sitges", Indian Rebound manages to rein in their lackadaisically summery vibe and temper it with a stop-start staccato melody line that would have been equally at home on a post-punk revival record from the likes of the Strokes or Franz Ferdinand. It’s a simply structured song that still manages to easily and naturally engage with something so aurally pleasing that it seems, on the band’s part, to have come from some instinctive source.

They pull off a similar feat on “Sunshine”, which draws on the most basic rock structures to create a song that drives its way into your head as easily as any of the numbers from the Ramones’ catalog. There’s no denying that they just have a natural knack for crafting melodies that just work.

The fact that this group is showcasing such a strong songwriting sensibility so early on bodes well for their future. At only 15 and 18 respectively, guitarist Ethan Levenson and drummer John Kallen manage to create music on par with many of the well-known rock duos of the past few years. Let’s hope they can capitalize on that potential and put out an EP or LP by the end of next year.

Check out Indian Rebound at myspace.com/indianrebound.

—Juan Carlos - God Save The Beat

Indian Rebound is the duo of two young native New Yorkers: Singer/Guitarist Ethan Levenson & drummer John Kallen. They have already impressed me a great deal with a strong set of demos such as the melancholy drenched anthem “Tyranny”, which sounds like part Girls, part Elliot Smith. It’s honest, raw, and emotional. There is plenty of talent at hand in these set of demos. Don’t let them off of your radar.

Check out “Tyranny” below, and visit their myspace for upcoming tour dates, which include an opening gig for Total Slacker.
- We All Want Someone To Shout For