This group of young men from that dirty city of Pittsburgh plays a pop-centric indie rock peppered with tight harmonies as it treads across quasi-experimental ground. It’s a well-worn experiment, though, like a sophomore distilling wood or performing some other time-honored scientific inquiry. Which makes sense considering the members are still in high school.
This is most boldly displayed on the A-side track, as the band bounces across a familiar sonic landscape. The real cut on this record is the B-side, “King Street,” which opens up with a quasi-off-kilter keyboard lead that breaks into jangling acoustic guitars and an electronic beat before transitioning into a full-fledge pop jam. If someone tried passing this off as the new Wallflowers single, it would be damn hard to refute. It’s a great rock song with a tight sound and smooth, but not overbearing, hook.
A lot of credit goes to the engineers at Tri-C’s Recording Arts and Technology program, who tastefully produced both tracks. This record has the perfect amount of polish without drowning the songwriting in studio chicanery.
