{image1}Labeling itself "electro funk rock," Milwaukee trio 1881 is preparing to release a new EP and exploring new ground in the process.

"It's a new type of fusion," says Erik Molstad, lead vocalist, keyboard player and percussionist for the band, which formed in 1999. "I really like the diversity of sound and variation."

"d3EP" arrives three years after 1881's debut LP "Brick & Mortar," and has a name that reads the same if flipped, Molstad points out.

"I picked 1881 because it's a palindrome, it's read the same backwards," Molstad says. "And, I primarily enjoy much of the architecture of the 1800s."

Moving from funk and jazz to ambient all in the first track, "d3EP" starts off strong and immediately renders itself difficult to categorize. Think soundtrack music from films like "The Italian Job."

The second track ,"Who We Are", gets philosophical, asking, "Why do we always fight who we are?"

"The song came about when I was writing," Molstad says. "I was thinking about different ways to approach music that wasn't myself."

The beauty of "d3EP" is the fact that each song highlights a different aspect of what 1881 is all about. From ear-catching hip-hop beats to the guitar solos, it's all there. Listeners can take refuge in this fresh and diverse combination of sounds.

At 1881's July 29 show at Linneman's, a trailer for the film, "The Gluttonator" -- "It's a parody of 'The Terminator,'" Molstad says -- will be shown as the band provided a few songs for the film's soundtrack. DVDs of the film will be available at the show, and the soundtrack will be released in the near future.

The band was also approached and asked to offer some songs for "Defect," a documentary about extreme unicycling. Brian Molstad, Erik's brother and 1881 guitarist, is a unicyclist himself.

"Think BMX, but on a unicycle," says Erik Molstad.

1881 performs at Linneman's Riverwest Inn, 1001 E. Locust St., on Friday, July 29 at 9:30 p.m. The 1881 Web site is 1881band.com.