Since Deas Vail debuted in 2007 (All Houses Look The Same), the band has been an underrated source of impressive indie rock. Following their signing with Mono vs. Stereo records, their sophomore project, Birds & Cages was one of the best indie rock releases. To follow that up, the group has offered a brief b-sides work called Under Our Skin EP.

Although "All Eyes Are On You Now" was pre-Birds & Cages, "Under Our Skin" is fresh off the band's anvil. "Under Our Skin" opens with smoothed synchronized clapping before moving to guitars which sound exactly like those used throughout Birds & Cages. The bells in the background of the chorus combined with Wes Blaylock's higher pitched vocals add an upbeat tone to the song. The pop rock tune delves into an awkward relationship where the singer strives to make his significant other's strained relationship stay together ("I can see I wanted to forget what went wrong and I'll become the one to repair you/wait and see"). "All Eyes Are On You Now" sounds like something that would be right at home on the White Lights EP. While the song isn't as intricate as the title track, the catchy piano backed tune turns out to be a fluid indie pop tune. The song also offers encouragement to a troubled soul: "we can see your more than able/if you can find a place that's stable/we're simply here to help you stand/cause the heart you have is good enough/so focus on the ones you love/if you pull yourself together you will be fine."

Although many may find the Under Our Skin EP a little too upbeat and happy in contrast to much of Birds & Cages, the sound of the EP (and especially the title track) is very crisp and unmistakably Deas Vail. This two song EP shouldn't be limited to die-hard Deas Vail fans, but all those who enjoyed Birds & Cages.

- Review date: 9/10/10, written by Nathaniel Schexnayder of Jesusfreakhideout.com