In just about every way, Easter Island's new 7-inch is a giant leap. Last year's full-length Frightened was a shiny, metallic thing, clean to the point of feeling somewhat sterile. The band's two new songs, housed on a 7-inch record that will be released at its Georgia Theatre gig Saturday, Sept. 21, exhibit the warmth and density that Easter Island's live show has long displayed.

This is thanks in large part to the involvement of local producer Andy LeMaster, whose signature sweeping style is on full display here. But it also attests to the group's creative progression. No longer content to simply ape their post-rock forebears, the members of Easter Island have found a purer collective musical self. The single's A-side, "Dinosaur," is both looser and more honestly anthemic than anything else the band has put to tape. Like Coldplay on quaaludes, the song oozes and woozes through nearly four minutes of cloudy bliss.

The other tune, "Drift," is closer in spirit to the songs on Frightened, but still represents forward motion. The metronomic Patrick Ferguson, (recently replaced by former Modern Skirts drummer John Swint) puts forth his most fluid effort to date. In all, the 7-inch makes Easter Island seem more than ever like a truly essential local band. 3 out of 5.

Easter Island plays the Georgia Theatre on Saturday, Sept. 21.