Sometimes It Rains, which consists of SMU sophomores (from left to right) Aaron Sternick, Jesse Fornear and Jesse Smith, recently released its debut EP, “Elijah, Wood You Please Sign Us?” (Cole Hill)

When reviewing a local band, a glaring contradiction inevitably arises. Generally, local bands have more musical promise than accomplishments. People listen and think, “These guys could be really good someday.” However, potential does not make a great band. Great albums and live shows make a great band.

So, here’s the problem: Sometimes It Rains, a band straight out of SMU, has only a short EP and has played only a handful of live shows. Therefore, this “review” will be almost anything but a review. Necessarily, it will be more of a letter to the band advising musical direction while pointing out faults, low points and dangerous or annoying traits.

Sometimes It Rains is an indie-pop quintet formed last year around singer,songwriter and guitarist Jesse Smith, a sophomore here at SMU. Sometimes It Rains recently released an EP entitled “Elijah, Wood You Please Sign Us?” The band consists mostly of SMU students: Jesse Fornear, a sophomore, plays the drums, and Aaron Sternick, another sophomore, plays guitar, lap steel, piano and synth on the new EP. However, there are a couple members who hail from somewhere beyond the Hilltop. Marc Hoegg, the bassist, is a junior at the University of North Texas and Mark Aughinbaugh, another guitarist, is a sophomore at TCU.

Sometimes It Rains serves up a casserole of pop, indie and occasional moments of rock with its new EP. The ingredients are not difficult to identify. The first track, “We Can,” is laden with Strokes-style guitar and up-tempo New York drumming. The tightly constructed song is reminiscent of Luna or Lou Reed rock simplicity. The chorus quickly soars out of the verse as Smith sings, “can we stay up all night?” while a simple guitar melody bounces playfully over the driving distorted guitars.

The instrumental sound of this song is well formed, precise and fantastically pop-rock. The bass and guitars intermingle perfectly in the verses while the drums patter along happily and cleanly. However, the vocals seem to flounder blandly among the direct and confident music. Smith’s lyrics seem like they were forced uncomfortably into an ill-fitting melody, which leads to all sorts of awkward phrasing and questionable linguistic emphasis. The words sound like they are being dragged out of Smith by the drummer’s impeccable timing; Smith sounds like he’s trying desperately to keep pace with the music.

During an interview with the band, Jesse Smith offered some insight into his lyric writing process. “Normally,” he said, “I start with a line that I really like and build around it.” However, when I asked which what came first in the songwriting process, the music or the lyrics, Smith replied immediately, “definitely the music.” This explains quite a bit. The music on “Elijah, Wood You Please Sign Us?” is often rich, purposeful and well played, while the lyrics and vocal melodies sometimes seem arbitrary.

The brilliant high point on the EP is the lengthy but sonically intriguing “You Got Me Thinking.” Clocking in at over nine minutes, it is surprisingly interesting, even when “there’s not a whole lot going on,” according to Jesse Smith. However, even when the instruments are sparse, the song seems sure of itself. Also, Smith’s lyrical abilities shine.

The vocal melody complements Smith’s airy yet personable voice, while the lyrical phrasing feels natural – unforced – unlike other songs on the EP. Also, the lyrics are sincere and eloquently meaningful. Smith seems to confide in some anonymous listener, allowing you to relate personally to lyrics, which are poetically original, insightful and emotive. You could say that the lyrics are like those found in Bright Eyes albums. But ultimately, the lyrics and Smith’s voice have a personality of their own, which makes them well worth listening to.

“You Got Me Thinking” starts off meekly with a flute that plays sweetly above a soft piano and unassuming xylophone that rings lightly. However, as the song progresses, it builds into a revelation of driving guitars and drums that move with grace. In these moments of sonic grandeur, Smith sings, “You’ve got me thinking/ there are no people left in the city. Deliver me out of my disguise/ And you’ve got me thinking that maybe hell could be pretty/ What kind of lover says goodbye?” This chorus is catchy – and better yet, substantive. And the music clearly complements the notion. It’s never trite or pretentious, even when it builds into grandiose sonic peaks.

For the most part, Sometimes It Rains has a distinct sound that warrants attention. However, some songs sound dangerously similar to those written by well-established bands. That’s okay, for now. But eventually the band must transcend its influences to create its own distinguished musical personality. As for the lyrics and vocals, they seem to take a backseat to the music. Some bands can get away with that, but in this case, it would be a waste of obvious songwriting talent.

So, I render this nugget of advice to Jesse Smith: Step up and don’t let the undoubtedly good music do all the work. Yes, the instrumental music is essential. But, in order for people to truly connect with the band, the lyrics and vocal melodies must be prominent. Otherwise, the band and its music will fade into the background without notice. And the fans will recall Sometimes It Rains years later. They will sadly think, “Those guys could’ve been really good.”