Pop this CD into your stereo and begin listening to the music that drifts from this New Orleans trio and you may begin to wonder if you’ve heard them before. Not that the music is clichéd—it’s not. But the pop-music melodies that rattle from the New Orleans-born band, 3rd Echo, is earnestly and unstoppably catchy.

Business as Usual, to be released July 15, is the band’s second full-length CD. Their debut was in 1995, when they released Intimate Exposures, a CD that earned the band a spot on four Mountain Dew commercials which aired across Louisiana 1995 through 1998. One of the cuts from this CD was prominently featured on the soundtrack of the 1998 indie film Dangerous Proposals, which was shot in Baton Rouge. Since then, the band has made itself known across the South, touring the college circuits of Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, Texas and Alabama, all the while using New Orleans as their beloved home base. Locally, they’ve made appearances at hot spots including the House of Blues, Tipitina’s and the Howling Wolf.

As for their music, it’s hard to believe all this energy comes from three people. The trio is composed of Manny D. Reyes on vocals and guitar; Billy Madere on bass, keyboards and vocals; and Vinny Manno on drums and vocals. Their songs have got an easygoing and sincere feel to them, and manage to be uplifting without being corny. With a rhythmic blend of upbeat tempos, melodic vocals and catchy chorus hooks, almost all the songs pay an innocent tribute to love, women and faith. “If you listen to those who claim to be wise,” the boys wail in “Bonded By The Stars,” “just remember where your faith lies.”

Part new wave, part pop rock, part something they’ve coined through their own melding of endearing melodies and punchy rhythms-chances are, if you haven’t heard their music yet, don’t worry, you will soon enough.