Davis and Richards — the Washington Post pop-music critic — began the indie-folk project Paint Branch in December 2010, releasing their first tunes under the name in 2012. This time, they sounded different, but the partnership felt the same.

“It seemed natural to work together again,” says Davis, 38, who’s also played in D.C. bands Georgie James and Title Tracks. “Chris said, ‘Hey, whenever you want to start your country band, let me know.’ We tried it, and it worked.”

On June 15, Paint Branch released its second set of recordings, a self-titled EP that recalls some of the recognizable sounds of Davis and Richards’ earlier work — two are new versions of songs that first appeared on the band’s full-length debut, I Wanna Live — but with a deeper exploration of folk, country and lyricism.

“We have a chemistry, because we’ve done this before… but it is still different, because this wasn’t the way we were writing songs before,” Davis says. “The way we are writing in Paint Branch is a distinct thing.”

The EP’s “a little bit country” feel isn’t just found in its music: Paint Branch recorded the release near Springfield, Virginia, on property owned by the duo’s pal, Elmer Sharp, who plays drums on the record. They tracked the songs in a shed fashioned into a studio.

Davis’ desire to hone in on songcraft is particularly evident in the EP’s opening track, “Patented Plagiarists” (listen below), which sets a tone that’s both mellow and subtly aggressive.

“The theme to that song is sort of in praise of people who do, and don’t say,” Davis says. “I like people — and maybe even strive to be someone — who just go and do it and don’t seek congratulations just because [they] showed up.”

But Davis acknowledges that his song could be heard in other ways.

“It’s hard to explain your own song, because hopefully the lyrics do that for you. But they don’t always,” the songwriter says. “What makes sense to you is a personal thing… and everyone projects their own interpretation onto the song.”

Paint Branch plays Red Onion Records July 19 and Paperhaus (as part of the In It Together Fest) July 30.

In recent years, academia has taken notice of DIY culture both past and present. This week, the University of Maryland announced that they were in the process of creating a “D.C. Punk and Indie Fanzine Collection” as part of their Special Collections in Performing Arts program. Curators Vincent J. Novara and John Davis recently fielded a few questions about this unique collection for Bandwidth.

What role do you think fanzines have played in documenting independent music in the last 30 years?

VINCENT: The fanzine is an ideal primary source to understand what was happening during that span, especially to learn about artists other than those with sustaining legacies. The enthusiasts who created the fanzines frequently prove eye-witness accounts to the events, trends, and practices as they developed. Plus, there are many unpublished and rare photographs of artists, shows, and spaces.

What’s the future for fanzines? What effect has the Internet had on self-publishing?

JOHN: Zine culture is still thriving. I don’t see as many music-based fanzines anymore, though they’re still out there. Fanzines now seem a little more about documenting personal and political aspects of the community. DC has an annual zine fair and the appeal of fanzines still holds strong, I think.

Because the word implies that their “fan” driven, some could infer they’re less than critical. But in my mind, fanzines aren’t beholden to advertisers so they can be as critical as they want. Fair assessment?

VINCENT: That is my assumption, and I have certainly read vicious criticism in zines. But, when someone creates a zine to celebrate an artist, sure, the objectivity is lost. When someone creates a zine to comment on the happenings in a genre or a scene, they have greater license to express what they feel.

What makes somebody want to start a fanzine?

VINCENT: For some people, it’s their best way to be involved. They might not have any musical ability, or zero interest in performing in front of people, and creating a zine is their contribution. Pre-Internet, this was of importance equal to those people who organized shows, started labels, took photos, etc. It was another vital branch on the tree of independent culture. And, of course, there were people (like McPheeters) who did all of it.