San Diego quartet the Soft Pack were called the Muslims when we suggested you keep your eyes on them. They shifted the name, but their Strokes-esque Stooges-inspired post-punk rock ‘n’ roll remains the same (even when they go acoustic). They reminded me of a preppy Richard Hell and the Voidoids when I first heard them… that’s still there. Ditto a modern Modern Lovers. So what else shifted? The group’s recently done shows with Phoenix (who they’ve remixed), Franz Ferdinand, the Last Shadow Puppets, and the Breeders and are about to release their self-titled full-length debut on Kemado. Take a look at the Felipe Lima-directed video for first single “Answer To Yourself,” which finds the guys working hard for the money, etc., at Del Mar Pizza. Oscars will not be awarded for the fight sequence.

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It’s official, San Diego BTW the Muslims have changed their name to the Soft Pack. Take a trek to their new MySpace and decide if they mean this (people do compare them to the Strokes) or plain ol’ Cigarettes.

Assured-beyond-their-years San Diego quartet the Muslims will definitely get a lot of attention for their name, but we’re much more interested in the band’s catchy, sorta sloppy and stark post-punk-infused rock ‘n’ roll. They mix a kind of Strokes-y, and therefore VU, detachment and something that bumps in the night like Hell and his Voidoids (or, better yet, Hell and the Heartbreakers doing “Love Comes In Spurts”). You can also hear a bit of the Stooges — not just because the band cites ‘em, along with the Replacements, as an inspiration — and early Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers (see “Future Rock,” “On My Time,” etc). Whatever the mix of forerunners, the Muslims find a way to make it their own — it’s kinda uncanny. We’ve been listening to their new 7-song 12″ (and the 10-song CD) on repeat (thanks Robots for the heads up), so we wanted to share a couple favorites with you…

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