With their third studio album, Lines You Should Not Cross, the Köln/Berlin quintet Kilians have come a long way since their early days as a loosely knit German college-rock outfit. The pummeling drums and winding guitars in the opening cut, “Start Again,” stir up echoes of '90s indie bands like Archers of Loaf and Pavement, save for singer Simon den Hartog’s vocals, which have more in common with '90s Britpop frontmen like Ash’s Tim Wheeler and Gruff Rhys from Super Furry Animals. Similarly, the following “Dirty Love” rocks like a male-fronted version of Elastica before “Do It Again” simmers down to create a sultry and seductive tune that treads close to balladry. And although in “Not Today” Hartog inflects with a slight nasal twang reminiscent of Lee Mavers from The La’s and John Power from Cast, this is where the band deviates from its bygone Britpop influences to create something fresh and powerful. The guitars here battle with Hartog for alpha melody, and he sometimes lets them win. “For You” bookends with a spare piano and Hartog’s naked voice.