How would you define a sound that’s a cross between Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, REM, and Glenn Frey?

It’s a trick question. A sound like that defies genre.

That’s exactly the goal of Houston’s hottest new band, Londale. Veterans of the Houston music scene, they’ve connected to create unique music that’s heartfelt, edgy, and laid back. The result – an eclectic sound reminiscent of the aforementioned legends. It’s an unexpected combination, but once you hear it, it just feels right.

For group co-founder and lead vocalist Willy Collins, Londale’s creation was a fast metamorphosis. An attorney by day, Collins formed his first group, the Willy Collins Band, in 2012. Known for its indie-Americana sound that incorporated country-inspired twang, the Willy Collins Band released three albums before briefly evolving into the Black Top Junkies. But when BTJ went into the studio to record its first album in 2016, they had a revelation: the name of their group didn’t fit their sound. Something special was happening in that studio. The music they were creating was taking them into new territory. Collins and group co-founder/lead guitarist Joshua Lee Hammond were blown away by this unexpected evolution. They realized their music was a throwback to the scratchy, low-fi sound of the transistor radios popular in the 1960’s, with a rock edge reminiscent of the 1990’s.

“When transistors first appeared, music wasn’t so pigeonholed. You could hear Led Zeppelin and Sinatra on the same station. Our songs are a mix of genres like early radio, and my first transistor, a ‘Londale,’ came to my mind,” Collins says.

Collins and Hammond renamed the band Londale as an homage to the old-school portable radio. Many of their songs even have a transistor-type quality, as if they’re playing on a Londale radio. The result — a sophisticated listening experience that captures our society’s demand for the modern and simultaneous nostalgia for simpler times.

For the guys in Londale, this retro-fresh album isn’t about the past – it’s a nod toward the future. And just like that first day in the studio, the band will let their songs dictate their sound and see where it takes them.

“Sure, there will be the distinctive ‘Londale’ guitar-centric sound,” Collins says. “But we’re excited to try new things and let the magic of being in the studio dictate what is and what can be.”