I’m a devout believer in the importance of local music. Much of my life has been guided by the community I’ve gained from the local and regional music scene, and I’ve invested much in my life to its success. Perhaps the biggest reason I moved back to South Bend from Chicago was to help build the local scene here.

In that regard, one of the constant misconceptions I deal with is the idea that local music is necessarily of a lesser quality than “real” music. And while it’s true that there’s no shortage of lackluster bar bands hacking their way through Eagles covers bringing down the average, some of the most beautiful music I’ve experienced has come from the craftsmanship of people in my own community.

Take for instance In This Style, a seven-piece prog rock outfit that delivers the kind of hypnotic, mind-melting, sonic alchemy you’d expect to be played in stadiums or huge open air festivals, not small venues and dive bars.

It’s no secret that I have a soft spot for jammy prog (when it’s done well). Meddle is my favorite Pink Floyd album. De-Loused in the Comatorium was one of the most transformational albums of my life. But, as much as I love Pink Floyd and the Mars Volta, when a band names them as influences, I get a little incredulous. Tons of bands have tried to make the same kind of meandering prog, but most fall far short of their ambitions.

In This Style, however, manages to pull it off. I’m not trying to say that In This Style is at the same level as these absolute legends, no (though they’ve covered both live, to great success). But when it comes to tapping into the same spirit, they get it.

It’s incredibly difficult to write music that is both mercurial and shifting while still having enough structure to be engaging. But In This Style somehow pulls it off, with a massive lineup of two guitarists, a bassist, a keyboardist (with an prog-appropriate array of electric pianos, organs, and synths), hand percussionist, and female vocalist. Knowing the players a bit, I also know that for all of their jammy wandering, there is immense care taken in the compositions, largely due to bandleader/mastermind Ryq Pedan. The tunes all feel like organic, largely improvised jam sessions, but every movement is made with absolute intention.

Which is great news for a studio album. The six tracks that make in Craft clock in at a brisk 42 minutes. Despite the numerous drummer/percussionist duals, keyboard odysseys, ambient guitar noodling passages, and all out prog jams, it never feels bloated or aimless. Each song is rooted with a solid verse and chorus to keep it from floating off too far into the ether. Additionally, the album does a great job of capturing the mesmerizing, can’t-look-away electricity that I’ve witnessed every time I’ve caught an ITS show, which is truly like capturing lightning in a bottle.

It’s a truly wonderful album, regardless of where it came from. The fact that Ryq walked a block from his house to drop it off on my porch is just a bonus.