It’s still a mystery why baby boomer soft rock has become such a commodity with the younger crowd these days, but such are the effects of living in an age of pop culture that commemorates its own past. The fine-tuned midtempo singles of Echo Park troupe Banta sound like they could’ve followed a Steve Winwood number in the radio twenty years ago, but nevertheless, there’s a good reason why they’d even be featured at all. "Dark Charms", for instance, has a stiff groove that instantly grabs you with its minimalist groove, carried by a luscious production that features the seductive vocal delivery of Sharaya Mikael. This isn’t necessarily the first incarnation of Banta’s sound, as their previous release through Bandcamp, "3 Feet From Gold", has more of a neo-soul feel, but the steady, bourgeois tempo of "Charms" suits them very well. Banta are hosting a residency at Silverlake Lounge throughout the month of April.
