Milk and the Times That Never Were

On their second EP the Press, recently relocated to New York from Atlanta, comes out of the gate fast, beginning "The Kindly Woodcutter" with an enthusiastic choral part. It's a good introduction to a band with several singers, each of them distinctive. But this never sounds like different groups when someone else is at the microphone. Paolo De Gregorio gives the tracks a hot, noisy mix that manages never to bury the vocals, despite lots of loud, clashing sounds, particularly in the chiming, chopping guitars. The Press is a frisky band that plays with fervor, as if the group members are racing each other to the end of each song. This is music that sounds road-tested and at the same time serves as a heady advertisement for the band's live show. It is also sufficiently accomplished that it suggests this is an act ready to record a full-length CD.