On Five Four’s website, by way of introduction, each member of the band is given a cartoon alter-ego. It’s a great rock ‘n’ roll tradition, the taking on of alternate identities within the band, from the identical surnames of the Ramones to the revolutionary identities assigned the locals in Nation of Ulysses. OK, so they’re not exactly the Gorillaz, and the cartoon identities don’t really extend past the little one off joke on the webpage, but it’s still an entertaining move, and more than that, reflects a band that isn’t content to just be another in a long line of similar bands, with a standard-issue MySpace page indiscernible from those of their peers.

The band’s sound is just as refreshing amid a large collection of often similar indie rock boys’ bands in town these days. Five Four’s sound, which can range from dreamy and ethereal to jagged pop to shoegazer wash, may not be without precedent, but there’s no one in the current local lineup that sounds remotely like them. Which may be why they often get lazily lumped in with other “girl bands” when they’re booked for shows. We were happy to find out that the band is headed into Silver Sonia studios next month with Chad Clark and T.J. Lipple behind the boards to record the follow-up to their excellent self-produced debut EP. But if you don’t want to take our word for it, you can always head out to DC9 tomorrow, if only to find out if the band really does, as they claim, have the cutest shoes around.

Photos by Eddie Diego