When most bands are thrown in the pressure cooker, it doesn’t take long for them to explode. Senator Kelly, on the other hand, has taken stressful situations in stride and is looking to come out better, as a band, because of them.

The foursome, based in Des Moines and Ames, released their first album two years ago, but for their own reasons, have not pushed it nearly to the extent that any other band would.

“We haven’t really exerted the effort to get people to pay attention to us, because we didn’t really like our stuff,” says David Yoshimura, frontman for Senator Kelly and junior in English. “When we have shows, I don’t even invite people, because I’m embarrassed.

“The new EP is really the direction we’re moving in — not the stuff we’ve been doing.”

The members of Senator Kelly have chosen to set their standards high for themselves, and will not sacrifice their principles for a quick 15 minutes of fame.

“When I do bring friends to see us, I want it to be something we’re proud of. I wouldn’t want to sell them our CD and feel like we’re ripping them off,” Yoshimura says humbly, even though the band has a legitimate excuse for the shoddy work.

“We recorded the album, like, a week after we wrote the songs, so they didn’t have much time to develop,” explains Yoshimura. “Half the songs, I wrote the vocal melody when the guy said, ‘rolling,’ so it’s pretty shaky.”

“It was literally recorded in 10 hours,” says drummer Scott Yoshimura, further expounding upon the duress the band was under. “About half of the songs would have been trashed, had we practiced them, but we were pressed for time, so we threw them together into songs … and recorded them on an album!”

David and Scott’s last name is no coincidence. Scott, the younger of the two Yoshimura brothers, has been playing with the band since March 2001.

“When we first started the band, I didn’t want him to be in it because he’s my brother,” David says. “When he did join the band, we had the whole sibling rivalry thing for awhile, but we got over it pretty quick.”

No single person writes the band’s music — rather, Senator Kelly focuses on combining the influences and criticisms of every member into a mosaic of sounds.

“The songs end up becoming something that none of us were looking for,” Scott says. “It’s a total collective collaboration, so all of the songs are our own.”

Senator Kelly’s music has been described as “mellow math rock” and at times sounds like a cross between Pedro the Lion and Radiohead, with more melodic basslines.

“We’re really meticulous about our music, so in that sense, it’s like math,” David says.

“This new stuff relies a lot more on calculated precision than on pure energy for playing,” says guitarist Jim Durocher.

“Jim plays cello, so a lot of his parts sound very classical,” David says.

Furthermore, both Yoshimuras are thoroughly steeped in jazz, which has strongly influenced their musical abilities.

“Those melodies I made on the album — there’s no way I could have done it without the jazz training.”

David sums up his overall feelings when he says, “The CD sucks, but the stuff we’re doing now is much more mature musically.”

The band members’ ignominious attitude regarding their past shortcomings is eclipsed by their clear intent to push the band toward redemption.

“I want it to actually mean something — the music is becoming an extension of who we are,” David says. “That’s the direction we’re going.

“We’re not just some kids dickin’ around with a guitar anymore.”