Tucked back in the woods of the Inland Northwest (Eastern Washington State, United States, World, for those not familiar) down in a hole (what? You have to go down in elevation to get there) is the city of Spokane. While it has its fair share of music, the overall quantity pales in comparison to its Westerly neighbor.  And to grind it down even further, the best rock it has going for it at the moment is Quarter Monkey.

When I dove into Quarter Monkey’s previous release, Lucy, I was perplexed, even going as far as saying it “will make you cringe, maybe stare awkwardly at your stereo, but ultimately will grow on you and fascinate the ever living audiophile out of you.” It covered a lot of ground but moved in a consistent style. Now, with their newest release Got No Name Anthony Brickner, Jereme Riccelli and Vinnie Delforge (with guest appearances by Ty Pfundheller, Brittany Pfundheller and Deanar Ali Young) let go of, well, basically everything I thought held their sound together and made them so damn intriguing.

Now, it is replaced with a vast, sometimes wandering, rock sound that is about as good an album as you’re going to find in today’s independent market.

The thirteen-track record is absolutely everything I could have wished for in a follow up. It comes out swinging then builds on a well-developed sound before it rides off into the sunset with a refreshing air about it. Throughout, you can feel the progression of the band from Lucy. “74” drives the rock genre home as it explodes out of the gates. “Direct Miss” and “Seaside” dish up a softer side and become the turning point for not only the record but the feeling that this trio has grown exponentially. By the finish, “Like Wolves,” Got No Name becomes complete. Not in a yeah Greg, it’s the last track way, but a wow…that was a musical experience. Now what do I do with my day?

In contrast to their previous work Got No Name emanates rock with a sense of maturity. Not to downplay what they’ve accomplished in the past, but this album is all I could have hoped for from Quarter Monkey and then some. Check it out for yourself here.

Greg is a regular contributor and co-founder at Nanobot. He once lived in Spokane, Washington but he now resides in Boise, Idaho.