Bella Lea

In underground rock, bona fide supergroups are a rarity and often underwhelming (think about Boston's Consonant or Kim Gordon's Free Kitten). Punk, at its best, is a quirky blending of personalities. But mature working relationships in the mode of Bad Religion are becoming the rule rather than the exception in indie rock—and some are working out beautifully.

Maura Davis, formerly the singer for the Richmond-based post-punk outfit Denali, is the prime mover in local group Bella Lea, leading the band with an exquisite vocal style that's a youthful, unself-conscious blend of Billie Holiday and PJ Harvey. Always-in-demand drummer Ryan Rapsys of Euphone and guitar-and-bass team Matt Clark and Stephen Howard of the can't-get-no-respect Chicago rock-outfit Pinebender fill in the back line. The band has only three demos on its MySpace profile (linked from www.bellalea.com), but they're superfine and the hipsterati are playing the hell out of 'em: "Save It" is paced like a Mazzy Star torch song, but Davis's range and some faux-mandolining kick it up a notch; "The Mess" pounds passionately; while "When I See You" goes from moody to cavernous. Throughout, the band executes a savvy blend of rockisms (like Rapsys's power-ballad rolls in "See You") that come together in tunes of epic emotional scale despite their brevity.

As the grassroots buzz grows, the quartet is seeing the country through a windshield most of the summer. It's rumored that Bella Lea may release an EP, then full-length, for Capitol, but not for some time. Even supergroups need a chance to find themselves.—John Dugan