Josh Epstein and Daniel Zott return to Minneapolis five days after the ignominious defeat of their hometown Pistons by the Timberwolves. At this point, they just want Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars gone and the team to lose.

Hopefully, any painful basketball jonesing for the duo, who perform as Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., will be assuaged by the presence of Epstein’s Chihuahua, Potato, who’s traveling with them on tour.

By virtue of calling Detroit home, the duo possesses an air of authenticity when it comes to the hints of Motown that seep into their recordings and showman-like attire.  

“I think really we’ve started revisiting some of the clothes we wore during childhood,” Epstein said. “Lately, we’ve been looking for stuff we might have had in 1989 — don’t know why, though. We’re just having fun.”

Epstein and Zott had few expectations when they formed an impromptu partnership in 2009. But after a first tour laden with glimmers of hope and prosperity, they leapt into their newfound stock car and accelerated.

As Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., they’ve released two albums: 2011’s “It’s A Corporate World” and 2013’s “The Speed of Things.”

Zott’s got the guts, and Epsteins’s got the brains — with this combo of ballsiness and smarts, they’re a formidable, if occasionally status quo, pop group.

Even more refreshing than their soaring harmonies is their honesty about the state of music.  

“It’s getting to the point where you don’t have to be technically proficient musicians. I think that if you say that analog is the only way — that you have to learn the piano — I think that kind of makes you a Luddite at this point,” Epstein said. “It seems dumb to not accept it and try to incorporate [computers] and maximize your time and abilities.”

But they are technically proficient. In fact, Zott and Epstein occasionally channel the vocal cadence and charm of Paul Simon on “Graceland.”

There’s a sense of purpose for them, too — in March, they played a benefit for a child with brain cancer.

“When you’re in a band, everything’s about you. It can be very self-centered, and we can become self-absorbed,” Zott said. “So I think it was important to do, not just for ourselves, something that actually matters and is more important than, really, what we do.”

Not that they need to be more active. After the October 2013 release of “The Speed of Things,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. dropped a mixtape, “Produce Vol. 1,” in February.

While “The Speed of Things” flashes the occasional brilliant moment, most notably on the anthemic tracks “Run” and “If You Didn’t See Me (Then You Weren’t On The Dance Floor),” the album is occasionally mired in forgettable, mid-tempo tracks.

There are no such problems on “Produce.” Ranging from hip-hop to electronica to a collaboration with Asher Roth (don’t hold that against them), Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.’s foray into mixes is a wildly fun romp through a huge sonic spectrum, reminiscent of an indie version of Ratatat’s hip-hop remixes.

Nothing has illustrated Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.’s interests, talent and potential more than these mixes.  

If they can find a way to synthesize the myriad of influences on “Produce,” their junior release will be an extreme departure from their existing discography.
 

What: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.

Where: Fine Line, 318 N. First Ave., Minneapolis

When: 7:30 p.m. doors, 8:30 p.m. show Wednesday

Cost: $15

Age: 18+