On their new album, American Gas Jive, Action Strasse wanted to capture a spontaneous, freewheeling vibe. To that end, singer/guitarist Vess Ruhtenberg set aside the hour prior to band rehearsals to write a song, giving the full band a chance to flesh out his freshly-composed tune during rehearsal. After 10 rehearsals, Action Strasse worked up a batch of 10 songs, nine of which made it on to the record.

The album was recorded and mixed just as quickly: two days at Queensize Studios, with post-production at Echo Park in Bloomington.

“It’s a sign of inspiration and progress,” Ruhtenberg said. “I just like to work fast. I like to keep moving along. I don’t like to get bogged down in any one thing.”

Perhaps partially due to Ruhtenberg’s occasional membership in alternative rock band The Lemonheads, American Gas Jive feels like a lost alt-rock gem from the genre’s 1990s heyday. “Impatient Love,” a standout track with a compelling opening hook, is a little more aggressive and off-kilter than straight-forward alt-rock, with a funny and vulgar chorus that isn’t quite radio or MTV-friendly.

“We’re an American rock band,” Ruhtenberg said. “We’re not trying to create new rules. We’re trying to create great songs.”

Fellow guitarist John Zeps agreed. “We’re all very organic players,” Zeps said.

The creation of Action Strasse followed directly on the breakup of long-lived hardcore band Majhas. Three-fourths of the Majhas — guitarist Zeps, drummer Tommy Roosa and bassist Tony Reitz — sought out a vocalist for the new project, and the nearly ubiquitous Vess Ruhtenberg had a little free time between classes in architecture school.

The band relishes their status as an Indianapolis-based band. Band members tour constantly — particularly Ruhtenberg, who maintains a steady tour schedule with The Lemonheads — and both Ruhtenberg and Zeps maintain it’s nice to have a place to come home to.

“You’re contributing to quality of life in Indianapolis,” Ruhtenberg said. “People are talented, they move to New York, they’re great actors, they move to L.A. That doesn’t necessarily benefit Indianapolis.”

American Gas Jive is the first original full-length on Musical Family Tree Records, an offshoot of the indispensable Indiana archival music site musicalfamilytree.net.