Austin-based trio Blank Slate has just released their second of two debut EPs (The Red EP). With this 5-song collection, which follows in the wake of EP number one (The Blue EP), the band broadens their emotional and sonic palette. It’s hard charging, guitar-based rock & roll with an impressive range. There are magnificent guitar flourishes​—“Anemic Souls” alone features two blistering solos, one a shredder, the other reminiscent of Blow by Blow era Jeff Beck--an acerbic dismantling of Me-Tooism (“Sameness-ness”); a sublime guitar pop exploration of challenging romance (“Better Than Nothin’”); an atmospheric descent into human frailty (“Fracture”); and a jaunty, sardonic look at the insanity of friends and family (“Sneaking Suspicion”).