Ex-Idle Hands members debut new trio - The Stress of Her Regard

For reasons that have nothing to do with the new buzz band out of San Diego named Idlehands —but let's be clear which one was first and better — the sibling team that previously anchored Minneapolis' beloved fuzz-rock band Idle Hands have started a new trio with a more distinguishable moniker, The Stress of Her Regard.

Irish brothers Ciaran and Criostoir Daly, best known from the 2009 local hit "Socialite Death Squad," also brought latter-day Idle Hands drummer Eric Wilson into the new group. They then lined up a small crew of heavy-hitter producers to help craft an impressive five-song debut EP, "Sport Marriage," the release party for which is Saturday at the Kitty Cat Klub.

"We'd already made the decision to make a clean break and do something new," Ciaran Daly explained of the name change. Their new name isn't exactly unique, either: It's also the title of a 1989 fantasy novel by Tim Powers.

"If I'm honest, the Idle Hands pretty much ended when [early-'00s members] Eileen, Nick and Al left in the middle of our recording what was going to be our second full length with Darren Jackson a few years back<' Ciaran continued. "Criostoir and I tried recreating that stuff with other people but ultimately it felt a lot better to make a clean break from a band that produced a lot of things we're proud of but felt in some ways cursed."

A blessing to Idle Hands fans, they don't try too hard to reinvent themselves musically on "Sport Marriage," which boasts poppy Brit-rock echoes of Pulp and the Jesus & Mary Chain. The latter band's associate Dave Trumfio actually produced one of the tracks, as did Portland's Tony Lash (Dandy Warhols) and local go-to guys Ed Ackerson and B.J. Burton. Saturday's release party has a similarly name-brand lineup, with Two Harbors, Phantom Tails and Red Daughters (9 p.m., $5).

The Ackerson-produced track posted below should pretty well remind folks of the talent involved.