At first glance, it’s a given that you’ll read this band’s name incorrectly.

Go ahead, try it. Aaaah… there it is. They got it right with “Untied,” though; “Instant Everything, Constant Nothing, the third album by the Atlanta quartet, is wild and wooly, an earthy mix of experimentation and the screw-it-all feel of Southern post-punk.

It’s grungy – but hey, what do you expect from a band whose town is better known for rap than rock – but pulled together, tight airy-pop vocals in a big ol’ heap with down-the-rabbit-hole guitar/bongo combinations and Slash-worthy shredding.

Members Colin Arnstein and Skip Engelbrecht, originally from southern Florida, definitely subscribe to the punkier mentality of their home state, but they aren’t immune to the methodical-but-melodic ideas of their more gangsta-minded new neighbors.

We definitely aren’t in the United States anymore, Toto.

With opening track “Gorilla the Bull” – yeah, I don’t get it either – Arnstein, Engelbrecht, Satchel Mallon and Darren Tablan kick it off with some basic post-punk sounds, but don’t be discouraged; they knock off the preconceived notions pretty quickly after, and that’s where things get interesting.

“Not Fences, Mere Masks” gets a bit funkier and faster toward the end, showing off the group’s true musical aptitude and adding in some harder drums for the hell of it. And are those 16^th notes I hear?

“Grey Tangerines” showcases the group’s nods to more modern music, flitting between their usual hard-loud-fast pattern and the multi-toned blips more common to techno.

Experimental or not, these guys know their way around their instruments, and their instincts.

Creative impulses to speed it up, slow it down, or barrage the listener with a five-instrument salute are well-placed, the ramblings of a mind that might be a bit off but definitely had the chance to read a few classics first.

There’s just enough experimentation without going overboard into noise, though some tracks, including “These Dead Birds,” and others are a teensy bit too long to keep up the excitement throughout.

“Holding Up Walls” is about the closest to radio-ready these Staties get, but that’s okay. “Instant Everything, Constant Nothing” isn’t about driving music, and it’s certainly not about sitting-on-the-beach music. Instead, it’s truly the study of a band finding itself, and doing so magnificently.

Though the album passes the second-listen test, it can get slightly grating on a third. Choose your listening venue wisely, though – packing up an ex’s belongings, studying for a futile chemistry test or writing a novel about Jack the Ripper, maybe – and Untied States’ muddled-but-magical sound will fit right in.

Buy This Album On:

Like Untied States? Try Against Me!, the Buzzcocks or Black Lips