Very few releases from new bands enthrall me. Usually it is painfully obvious that the band is still learning their trade, the singer is a singer only by necessity rather than because of innate talent of any sort, they haven’t been able to secure top-notch production for their songs, and/or their lyrical maturity is sorely lacking. It is much to my surprise, then, when I come across a band like Darlingside who is exactly the opposite of everything I have just described. Despite the fact that they only began performing as a group this past January, this quintet is immensely talented — each of them contribute noteworthy vocals, their production value is simple yet effective, and their lyrics are spot-on and go far beneath the surface of everyday human interaction.

The six-track EP begins with the stunning, “Good Man,” an indie rock ditty about a man’s ability to continue following the woman he loves despite her independent spirit and inability to remain in one place, with one man, for very long. “Surround” is a more upbeat, poppier tune about asking for a second chance after saying the wrong thing (even though it may have actually been the right thing and it was simply stated at the wrong time). The content of the remaining tracks varies from tales of love to loss, of courage to cowardice, of redemption to regret; they don’t stick to the sugary sweet high points of life, but they don’t dwell in the dumps either, they just recognize that the two can—and do—co-exist.

The quintet—David Senft, Donald Mitchell, Auyon Mukharji, Harris Paseltiner and Sam Kapala—is an extraordinary group of musicians and music enthusiasts (Paseltiner has performed on NPR previously, for instance, and Mukharji won a post-collegiate fellowship to study and write about the traditional music of Turkey, Brazil and Ireland). Mixing guitars, bass, violin, bandolim, saz, cello and pennywhistle in hypnotic ways, with expert flourishes throughout each tune to give each one its own unique sound, they create some truly pleasant, truly original music that will leave you dancing in your seat and mimicking their playing in the air. They are a confident, creative, quirky bunch, and their songs prove this repeatedly.

After one listen to this album it is easy to see why they are making waves so quickly in the Northeast. Having opened for the likes of Guster, Nada Surf and Caitlin Canty (Darlingside produced her latest album), they are a force that is only going to grow larger as time goes on. If you’re looking for a new unknown band to latch onto, this is the one. EP1 is one of the year’s best, and this is one band to watch.