Grunge and soul?

Think of two genres that you think there is no way you could mix into one song. Rap and folk? Metal and jazz? Impossible, right? How about grunge and soul? Apparently, not impossible. Seratones, a nifty little outfit out of lovely Shreveport, Louisiana, has created a sound that somehow, someway, seamlessly blends the polar opposite genres of grunge rock and soul music. The relatively unknown four-piece are climbing their way out of the depths of obscurity with the help of their appearance in NPR's Tiny Desk Concert series. "Don't Need It," the first song they play in their Tiny Desk Concert, is a great example of how the group can make you want to headbang while wearing your rattiest flannel shirt and ripped jeans, and, at the same time, strap on your dancing shoes and sing from the bottom of your heart. The song starts with a mildly thrashing intro sequence, reminiscent of Nirvana; distorted electric guitars and cymbal-heavy percussion abound. Soon after, the band settles in into a simple, sunny guitar riff, accompanied by a funky bassline, upon which lead singer AJ Haynes enters triumphantly. Haynes, who is a high school English teacher by day and began singing in Baptist churches at the age of six, has one of the most striking voices in recent memory.

Her full-bodied, spunky, confident vocal style has an incredible range, and sounds like it should be accompanied by saxophones, stand-up basses, and trumpets, instead of wailing electric guitars, growling bass guitars, and crashing percussion, at first. However, as the song progresses, it becomes readily apparent that Haynes' voice is perfectly suited to the style that Seratones have cultivated. She is able to transition from astoundingly high-pitched falsetto notes to hardcore quasi-yelling in the blink of an eye. As the track comes to a close, the band showcases their old school influences with a couple of brief classic rock-and-blues-inspired guitar solos, before the song fades into distorted feedback. Seratones are a one-of-a-kind group that, despite having a small following, have an intricately developed sound that makes it seem like they've been headlining for years and that grunge and soul were designed to be intertwined.