This debut from Saratoga Springs, NY, natives
the Sixfifteens (who include former Dryer members Bob Carlton and Joel Lilley) mixes aggressive power pop/punk-pop with more experimental fare, and the seven tracks represent the sound of a new band really finding its legs. From the mellow
Sonic Youth-like guitar wash of "5 Minutes" to the sprightly
Figgs-like pop-punk of "Tell All Your Lies," the band is moving in several directions at once -- the most compelling coming with the more oblique, post-punkish tracks "Dusk and Dawn" and the powerful album closer, "Auto-Stop." The ominously ringing guitar tones, martial drum batteries, and uncanny dramatic build of the latter wouldn't be out of place on an
...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead album. This debut seems a nice slice of things to come; from top to bottom there's a bristling energy, tight interplay, and melodic sensibility that augurs well for the future. ~ Erik Hage