The group is composed of UW alums. The original five members (Carter, bassist Mark Hunter, tenor and baritone sax players Levi Gillis and Evan Smith, and drummer Jarred Katz) met while studying in the university's rather progressive jazz program, while remaining members Tom Eddy (lead vocals, guitar) and Jacob Lundgren (guitar) were welcomed into the fold not long after. They hit the market at the height of the early-2010s soul revival. Their own vintage-hued sound harks back to 1960s-era doo-wop, Motown, blues, jazz, and R&B—but it maintains a 21st-century quality of production, modern lyrical themes, and new-fashioned good times that find them hard-slinking and groove-hawking as much as shuffling and jiving, with the added oomph of a tight three-piece horn section.

They went from playing house shows to club gigs to bigger venues, growing organically and in DIY style, putting out their first record in a get-it-down-and-get-it-out rush in 2015. This year's follow-up was more calculated, meticulously recorded in their own Central District studio, and with added guests (including backup singers, a string quartet, organist Delvon Lamarr, and guitarist Jimmy James of the True Loves). by Leilani Polk