Bad Things show off their rock 'n' roll side on "Lonely Eyes."

Turns out Shaun White is better than Michael Jordan at one thing: switching jobs. (OK, having hair, too.) The Olympian snowboarder, who heads to Russia for the 2014 games next month, continues to knock it out of the park with his band, Bad Things.

The group's latest is "Lonely Eyes," a fast-driving yet shimmering rock anthem (thanks to White's stacked-up guitars, which push the chorus to 10,000 feet) with the indie edge of The Strokes or Tokyo Police Club and, interestingly, echoes of Morrissey.

But, everyone's an essential player on Team Bad Things. Lead singer Davis LeDuke delivers an appropriately emotional performance (echoes of Manchester mysteriously ring through this L.A. boy's pipes) and drummer Lena Zawaideh drops in calm harmonies as bassist Jared Palomar (of Augustana) thunders below them. Producer Rob Schnapf (Tokyo Police Club, The Vines) gives the sonics a timeless crackle that has us hitting repeat.

"Lonely Eyes" showcases the band's effortless rock abilities after lead single "Caught Inside," a wide-eyed, mid-tempo anthem drizzled with sensitive piano. There's none of that here, just smacked snare drums, careering guitar parts, and dreamy boy-girl harmonies that'd give even Jenny Lewis and Ben Gibbard pause.

Bad Things' self-titled album drops on Warner Bros. on Jan. 21, just in time to soundtrack White's latest medal runs. Looking forward to hearing dude conquer arenas next.

+ Listen to Bad Things' "Lonely Eyes."

Photo credit: Doron Gild