Bloomington, IN · soul · r&b

Durand Jones & the Indications

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Retro-soul made by people who studied the records — two voices trading leads over immaculate rhythm work, from falsetto sweetness to preacher grit.

Durand Jones grew up in Louisiana and came to Indiana University for postgraduate study in classical saxophone, where he met guitarist Blake Rhein and drummer Aaron Frazer through the school's Soul Revue. The three bonded over a shared love of old soul 45s, and by 2012 had begun writing songs together in Bloomington, Indiana, recording them on a four-track tape machine over the following two years.

Rhein and Frazer brought in two more members of their side project, bassist Kyle Houpt and organist Justin Hubler, to complete the Indications' lineup. The group played only one show before Ohio label Colemine Records asked to release the recordings; a single came out in 2015 and the debut album, cheaply made and largely cut to tape, followed in 2016. Word spread through record stores and critics, and the band reunited to tour through 2017.

The band works in classic soul and R&B, with arrangements modelled on 1960s and 1970s records. A central feature is the contrast between Jones's deep, gritty lead and Frazer's high falsetto, with the two trading and layering vocals over tight rhythm section playing.

Chicano lowrider enthusiasts became early champions of the band's sound, circulating it from 2016 onward; the band later repaid the tribute with the song "Cruisin' to the Park" and its Spanish-language version, "Cruisin' to the Parque," recorded with Y La Bamba. Their second album, American Love Call, was recorded in Brooklyn with the aim of developing a fuller vocal-group sound, followed by Private Space in 2021.

Later releases have added smoother, more orchestrated ballads and sweet-soul textures alongside the group's rougher early sound. Aaron Frazer also released a solo album in 2021, and Durand Jones has appeared as a guest vocalist for other artists. The band's fourth studio album, Flowers, came out in 2025.

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