The “Dan” in Run Dan Run is the main event of the band’s sophomore full-length.

Dan McCurry wrote 10 of the 11 songs and his pleasant, somewhat sultry voice is what gives these songs their character, with a style that falls somewhere between Stuart Murdoch from Belle and Sebastian and Damon Gough from Badly Drawn Boy.

But the noisy first song, “Intro,” gives the false impression that the rest of the album is going to be experimental and inaccessible.

"Run Dan Run"

Those thoughts are quickly erased with the opening notes of the next track, “Lovesick Animal,” which is a breezy pop song that sounds like it could be a hit in the UK.

Run Dan Run sufficiently earns its label as an indie rock band by adding the right amount of ambient noise and straying just far enough away from pop song structure by avoiding too many major chord progressions.

That being said, McCurry is very un-indie from time-to-time, and has a knack for melodies and borderline sing-along choruses on tracks like “Cut-Outs.”

Though the band is only a trio, the recorded versions of the songs are full of many layers of instrumentation and never feel sparse. Many tracks such as “Box-Type Love” feature a guest female vocalist and a select few employ the use of a horn section.

The album was self-produced in the band’s apartment, but the musicianship is strong and tight enough that the layer of lacquer that many modern ears have grown accustomed to is not missed.

The homemade sound lends itself to the band’s version of indie-pop and allows McCurry’s crisp vocals and lovelorn lyrics to shine through.

Songs such as “False-Hearted Lover” and “Finger & Fist” — where Curry asks: “Who’s going to get you off right now?” — make it seem as though McCurry might have recently experienced a bad breakup.

The album is pretty consistent, but it lacks a standout single, even for the college radio format that it has been marketed for.

By the end of the album, the tracks start to run together until the closer, “In Parts,” which features a beautiful, organ and synthesizer-laden bridge that rounds out the album nicely.

Though this album may not change the world, the boys in Run Dan Run are very good at what they do: playing off-pop songs in an indie-rock style.

The song titles may quickly slip your mind, but McCurry’s vocals won’t.