Several times during Lent’s debut ep Naked Friendship you may ask yourself, “Is this the same band?” Over the course of four songs and three interludes, the group alights upon multiple genres held together by the sturdiness of their propulsive rhythm section and the collective commitment to windswept excellence. Somehow coalescing into a cohesive whole, Naked Friendship is a wondrous and transporting listen. Whatever genre Lent leans toward, you can tell they’re leaning forward. There’s an intentionality behind every choice, from the genre to the songwriting to tone to the production. The sounds, the mix, and the balance all underscore and lift up the band’s identity of merging urgency with space. The sonic palette of the album is mirrored by the sequencing: alternating songs with instrumental interludes, which are somehow equally engaging: both the clearly defined and the merely suggested are equally important to the whole, and all of it is happening right this minute.