Born of strings vivid and melodically satisfying in every way, War Panties’ “Delaware Cornfields” and “Creaky Crooked Woman” may well have been recorded with a bit of jest in mind, but they’re nonetheless very compelling content for music aficionados. From a structural standpoint, both of these singles and their respective music videos are built with as much of an ear for detail as they are beholden to a slight surreal influence. There’s no escaping the humble energy of the songcraft at hand, and moreover the potential that War Panties aren’t even tapping into with the recording of these two new songs.

“Creaky Crooked Woman” is all about the brawn of its guitar while the folkier “Delaware Cornfields” sports a gilded harmony as fetching as an afternoon under the country sun. Both mixes exemplify an old fashioned approach to making pop music in a streamlined manner, but it never feels like we’re missing out on any sacrificial details just for the sake of making the melodies accessible. I don’t think War Panties made these tracks for any other reason than to give us a skillset exhibition; after all, they’ve certainly got quite the war chest worth showing off right now.

Designed to the specs of Americana’s most demanding of critics but likely intriguing to everyone from rock fans to more eclectic listeners, I think calling War Panties’ “Delaware Cornfields” and “Creaky Crooked Woman” a pair of wins for their creators would be more than fair. The creative edge supporting this band is still in the process of finding its signature voice, but for being as new an act as they are I think it’s safe to say they’ve got a good handle on what kind of music they want to make together. That’s half of the battle in the rookie stage, but for these experimentalists, I don’t see it being any sort of obstacle.

John McCall