Good Morning Harakiri

Something about Dwellers sounds oddly familiar, but it's hard to put your finger on it until the Salt Lake City group's debut, Good Morning Harakiri, really gets a head of steam going. Could it be the presence of previously known personages like former Iota vocalist/guitarist Joey Toscano, or Sub Rosa alums Dave Jones (bass) and Zach Hatsis (drums)? Nah, too obscure all around, so it's gotta be the neo-psych qualities of these songs, which at different times recall everyone from Dead Meadow, to Truly, to SST-era Soundgarden. You know what we're talking about: that period when post-punk lysergic vibes ran far deeper than the subliminal metal influences bubbling just beneath the surface, even on more insistent numbers like "Black Bird" and the intriguingly titled "Ode to the Inversion Layer." Toscano's wah-wah-lovin' geetar also conjures up old-school Screaming Trees on the extended jam "Vultures," where the long-term working relationship between his rhythm peers definitely comes in handy — as it does on the slow-crawling, pent-up tension of closer "Old Honey," featuring echoed vocals in the Sons of Otis wheelhouse. Another cut, the punchy "Lightning Ritual," shows unusual restraint and succinctness, so at least we know Dwellers can accomplish such feats of self-editing, if they so wish. But something tells us to expect an even wackier acid trip next time around, if Good Morning Harakiri turns out to yield a sequel, in contrast with the finality of its title.