Think of the things you love best. Whether it’s a type of food or a place or a piece of art, what makes it interesting is its disparity. It’s the coming together of diverse elements that spawns something remarkable. This is true for music, as well. Useless Keys, a four-piece rock band from Los Angeles, epitomizes the idea of deviating parts coming together to form a cohesive, engaging whole.

The band, which formed almost accidentally in early 2008, brings together four very different musicians, with very different musical sensibilities. Bauer and Regilio, who were both in other bands at the time, met through a mutual friend and began spending time writing songs, almost as a hobby. They wrote upwards of thirty songs, and when their former bands broke up it was natural to explore the creation of a new venue for their songwriting. Modica, who had been in Regilio’s old band, was pulled into the mix, and Vivarat a friend of both was brought in to complete the new formation.

“We had three bands and all broke up, all around the same time,” Bauer explains. “We were the different parts from different bands that reassembled. Our old bands were not stylistically similar at all, but something about us getting together after those groups disbanded made sense.”

The foursome played their first show at Spaceland in June of 2008 and quickly gained momentum in Los Angeles. Their music was picked up by many several radio stations, including KROQ, who also sponsored several shows, and along with ASCAP sponsored their February 2010 residency at the Echo in Los Angeles. The band has headlined area shows and played with bands like Warpaint, The Rifles, Free Energy, Band of Skulls, and Living Things. They've recently made trips to New York, playing the Mercury Lounge and Glasslands and upon returning have toured from San Diego to San Francisco and will continue to journey along the west coast to promote their debut EP, "Is The Painting Changing".

"Is the Painting Changing", a four-song EP, comes directly from the band without a label behind them. Recorded with Sheldon Gomberg and Rick Parker (BRMC, Von Bondies) exemplifies the band’s fuzzed out, layered indie rock songs that draws from a range of musical styles and focuses on skilled instrumentation and clear innovation. “White Noise” explores the bounds of songwriting, eschewing a traditional format in favor of moody experimentation and arching sonic landscapes while “Down Threw” proffers a charming melody that sparkles through complex gradations. The four tracks meld together seamlessly, but each embraces its own tone and aesthetic.

“We all have such different backgrounds,” Bauer says. “I think that’s what makes a band interesting. You don’t want to sound like any band who came before. The combination of four people from different listening backgrounds all putting in their two cents creates something new."