Bands are often criticized for being unable to move beyond their inspirations. A problem arises in this common critical practice, however, when a band deliberately makes emulation, not extrapolation, the point.

Such is the case with The Explorers Club’s debut, Freedom Wind, an album that is very upfront about its aspiration to mirror early Beach Boys in every conceivable way. At this they succeed — everything from the vocal harmonies, liner notes and sun-drenched instrumentation, to the production esthetic and imagery of starry-eyed lovers mimics the Wilson brothers’ halcyon days.

Though it’s nice to hear a band focus on the Beach Boys’ pre-Pet Sounds era, it’s not as if the songs The Explorers Club recall are forgotten relics. The fact that the Beach Boys’ recordings are so readily available, and so nearly perfect, brings up questions of why Freedom Wind exists at all. When it comes down to it, The Explorers Club can’t surmount the fact that anyone craving the sweet sounds of the early Beach Boys will listen to early Beach Boys records over what amounts to a cover band who only play originals.