This Computer Kills

The three members of This Computer Kills graduated from high school just in time to tour in support of their debut album, which, in true hardcore fashion, clocks in at 13 songs and just over 35 minutes. They take a fairly typical slash-scream-and-kill approach to modern punk rock, but there's a musical depth at work here that is somewhat unusual. For all the shouting and spitting, "1048 Ralston St." and "Skeletor" are about childhood nostalgia (which would have to be pretty fresh in the minds of these 18-year-olds); for all the head-bludgeoning aggression of songs like "Intro To..." and "Rocks Don't Spark," there's a fair amount of harmonic complexity if you listen hard enough to catch it. Punks over 30 will hear echoes of the Proletariat (those minimalist lyrics, that fake British accent) and Mission of Burma (those subtly intricate guitar parts, those melodic basslines), while punks in their 20s will probably hear echoes of Drive Like Jehu and Unwound. Overall, though, This Computer Kills offers a surprisingly individual and fully realized sound on its debut album, and is a band that definitely bears watching in the future.