The hot, dry air of Southern California tends to evoke a certain wistfulness in its musicians. The beach-side sunshine of Brian Wilson and the bourbon-soaked back-alley-ballads of Tom Waits have proven to be two such SoCal goldmines. In that landscape, Cold War Kids found their own musical niche, a blues-inspired rock peppered with a dance pulse and driven by front man Nathan Willett's insistent voice. The band's rusty piano and rough, shimmery guitars alternately rear back and roar; its sparseness and tone at times echo Detroit's White Stripes. Another Cold War Kids touchstone is Radiohead, who perhaps inspired the eclecticism and dramatic, billowy songwriting that carry the band's 2008 sophomore album, "Loyalty to Loyalty." Catch Cold War Kids between opening dates for indie-pop statesmen Death Cab for Cutie, who tour with the Kids in tow through April.

Cold War Kids play Monday, April 6, 7:30 p.m. at Water Street Music Hall, 204 N Water St. $15. 325-5600, waterstreetmusic.com.