Lions. Leopards. Lynx. Our ancestors rightfully had a lot to fear from those primitive predators, and as such us humans have adopted the notion that all big cats are ferocious felines. But in an era where these beautiful species are more endangered than danger, we’ve got to appreciate the intrinsic elegance of what are ostensibly overgrown kittens. So feel free to read this next short sentence in your best David Attenborough voice.

Enter…the Elegant Tiger. As their exceptional name suggests, this Austin trio (who formerly went by Shapescenes) incorporates the most refined stripes of alt-rock, new wave, shoegaze, and synthpop into their brand of aural camouflage. Though it’s not like Elegant Tiger just dragged ’em all in and let ’em out of the bag; there’s an undeniable sophistication to Elegant Tiger’s keep these combinations skulking through the jungle of genres without making them sound slapped together. I mean, rainforest-dense electronic elements rubbing up against anthemic vocal melodies and atmospheric guitar with three players cooperating harmoniously instead of trying to claw their way to the top of this intimate ambush? It’s…well…elegant to say the least.

And this weekend Elegant Tiger flips the switch on their debut album OFF/ON/ON/ON, doing so with a release show 10:30PM this Friday at Stubb’s after The Gaslight Anthem (with free admission if you’ve got a wristband for the latter). You can dig your claws into much of the LP already with its paw-ful of lead singles dating back to last New Year’s Eve. They’re all awesome, but this morning’s offering may just be our favorite. Perfect for a summer sunset drive from its first bass drop through its final ninety-second sans-percussion coast, “Venus Nights” is an ’80s-infused ode to the women of the world, that overall has us thinking Tony wasn’t so crazy about his aspirations for a catlike passenger in Scarface.

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