On their self-released EP

, Sean Lee and The Masquerades provide added insurance that good, straightforward American songwriting won't die when Wilco retires. Hailing from Philadelphia, PA, Lee and his band jam through 17 minutes of alt-country and earthy pop-rock, with the verve of a group that knows what it's doing and will definitely know how to rock when the big show comes calling. From the get-go, Lee's talent as a songwriter and front man practically jumps out the speakers. At just 21 years of age, he ably upholds his half of comparisons to the likes of Elvis Costello and Tom Petty. His thoughtful yet refreshingly unforced lyricism is propelled by the bands, super-tight musicianship and Lee's earnest energy. Keeping in mind his age might bring one to a new level of appreciation for the Texas-two-step precision of How Do I Know or the gentle pacing and soulful restraint of the title track, The Apes Have Escaped .

All discussion of age and its relevance aside, these boys can play. With the timing and flair of Nashville studio- musicians-in-training, Sean Lee and Masquerades skillfully navigate a refreshing blend of Costello-an pop, Southern twang, and Southwestern swing. Sean Lee completes the picture with a sharp lyrical vocabulary and a classic American voice that pairs character and flexibility with country hubris and indie-rock charm. On the opener, Backroom Lullabies , Lee drinks some Sierra Mist and delivers vocals bubbly enough to inject the song with the necessary pop inflection but with enough weight to hold down its folksy spit-shine. On the swinging foot-stomper How Do I Know he becomes the barnstorming front man for the house band at the local Honky-Tonk, while the deft slow pop of The Apes Have Escaped finds Lee in full-on Costello mode, double-tracked for your aural pleasure.

The other two tracks on the record, Wide Awake and Hold On are just as well-conceived as the others. Perhaps the most distinct track on The Apes Have Escaped is Wide Awake . Here, Sean Lee and the Masquerades slow it down for the ladies, and at the outset, the sound is a bit puzzling with regard to the rest of the album. But, the Masquerades turn the stale formula for introspective slow songs in favor of a musically interesting and pleasantly unfussy ballad. The most impressive thing about Sean Lee's music is the ease, the apparent effortlessness of his vocal presence and lyricism. His melodies are swift, clean, and remarkably mature and his songwriting is confident but unassuming. This bleeds right into the band's overall sound: studied but not contrived, intricate but not over-worked. One writer said that Sean Lee "is proof that honest and creative musicianship can exist today, without taking things too seriously." For my part, that goes for the Masquerades too.