Hey Walden, The Static is a Better Band Name

Athens’ Walden play anthemic, modern pop-rock, making them a possible new favorite for fans of Bastille, Coldplay and the like.

Other rewards for four musicians able to maintain and improve their high school band into their young adult years include a recent four-song EP, The Static. The ethereal “Axiom” sparked those prior comparisons to sensitive pop-rockers, while “Alive” will remind you of when those bands’ forerunners, U2, still made decent music.

If you’re looking for retreads of dad rock, punk or honky tonk music, you’ll look the other way. If your tastes incorporate more modern strands of popular music, just hope these guys’ first big shot at opening the Roxy for, say, The XX doesn’t let out at the same time as a Braves game. That’d be a ride-share nightmare.

Until then, a sound ready-made for summer festivals has the youngsters playing such regional gatherings as Shaky Knees this month and AthFest’s main stage in June.