DC-based troubadour Alex Vans creates a unique, shape-shifting blend of rock, folk and pop. His recent self-titled EP is lived in, warm and yet minimalistic, shaped by the hands of a master song-craftsman and high-burnished by the lungs of one of the Capital's most promising young vocalists.

Just beneath the spare, plaintive vocals lies Alex's sunny Hendrix and SRV-inspired guitar riffs, creating a bittersweet pastiche that evokes Beck's "Sea Change" period. Not gratuitously, he seamlessly adds in some phrasing nods to the Beatles and The Arcade Fire that serve to add to the tension between traditional and modern sounds.

Even when it rocks, this is music you'll want to curl up into. The ever-changing speed and intensity breaks up the set, engages the audience and avoids the constant-tempo-as-signature-style pitfall.