It is the year 2009 and the Americana rock group known as Night Moves enters into existence. Joined together by guitarist and vocalist John Pelant, multi-instrumentalist Mark Ritsema and bassist Micky Alfano, this glittering trio who first met at Southwest High School in Minneapolis, struck indie-gold with their debut album Colored Emotions.

Between early musical projects that brought them to college, away from and back again, the ensemble created a powerful debut, which was nearly two years in the making and was released via Domino. With Thom Monahan (Devendra Banhart, Vetiver, Beachwood Sparks) helping develop the album, Night Moves were perfect musical company. Monahan’s laidback nature paired with the bands perfectionism made for a debut that struck with lyrical and textural resonance.

So why check out Night Moves? What is it about these young men that have struck such a deep and valid chord in our listening ears? It is their sonic ability to transfer light into to sound and, really hear us out on this one – when “Headlights” begins, the listener is dropped, fully and completely into a barrel of fluid sonic tranquility. Between the laid back bass line, the swift whiff of the harmonica, lead electric riff and subtle drum rhythm, it is almost as if we are transported, to soar on a beam of light, to some nostalgic memory of young love and comes forth, a stirring sensibility of the sublime.

Pelant uses his voice as a commanding instrument. His lyrics are desperate yet pure. With the rhetorical question in “Country Queen,” “Oh, sister where’d you think you’d run away?” he delivers an ever the fierce plea for this young love to, “hold on, it’s just feeling.”

Night Moves are currently on a summer tour with Lord Huron (who is on fire and who we recently interviewed at Bonnaroo) and the Dirty Projectors covering shows all over North America. We caught up with the trio during their third stop at Austin’s iconic venue The Mohawk, where the band delivered a far out performance of talent and raw musical ability.

The band’s ability to conjure sprit and energy during their live shows is what sets them apart. These twenty-somethings are full of fervor and fire. There are an isolated number of performers who can shape-shift the way Night Moves do. They are young, beat with epic vocals and concise arrangements and have delivered one of the most sophisticated debut albums the indie-sphere has seen. It would appear that together, this trio could do no wrong. We look forward to their next release and our critique would be, “let it come before 2015.” Then again, if two to three years are what it takes for Night Moves to produce such iconic albums, we’ll take the waiting.