Regardless of what you prefer to call it — prog, math rock, or otherwise — Yukon are a band that push the technical limits of a traditional guitar rock combo to its logical extremes. The guitar, bass and drums all occupy their usual sonic space, and retain a texture and timbre you’re accustomed to, but the players arrange them into inventive structures and intricate polyrhythms that never fall into neatly predictable patterns. When the Baltimore-based band plays live, drummer/singer Nick Podgurski looks like a conductor, wildly swinging his sticks but seemingly in complete control of every sound that comes out of or accompanies his instrument, and occasionally providing minimal vocals.

Medallion is an EP recorded by Yukon just before founding guitarist Denny Bowen left the band. And while it’s difficult to say what the band will sound now that its lineup has been reduced to a trio, the last four songs recorded by Yukon as a quartet differ from the band’s earlier material in subtle ways that may point towards its future. Whereas the band’s previous full-length album, 2006′s Mortar featured heavily distorted guitars and screamed vocals, newer songs like “Zero Gravity Chamber” benefit from cleaner production that strips back the aggression while better showcasing the band’s energetic instrumental interplay.

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The standout track on Medallion is “Hotel,” which builds from a crisply rhythmic intro to a swinging, swerving riff, and gradually piles on snaky variations and strange, wiggly effects pedal textures. The last song on the EP, “Totem Pole,” is also the one with the most prominent vocals, while while only faintly audible in certain sections of the song, are somewhat distracting and unnecessary. Ultimately, Yukon is a band that says pretty much all it needs to with its tight tangles of rhythm and melody, at least until they mix their vocals up enough that you can make out the lyrics.