Charmer

For their third album, the Scranton, Pa.–based Tigers Jaw headed to Studio 4 in Conshohocken, Pa., with producer Will Yip (Title Fight, Circa Survive) to loosen up their sound and see where they stood after three of the original five members left the group and forced the cancellation of a European tour. Guitarist/vocalist Ben Walsh and keyboardist/vocalist Brianna Collins decided to stick it out, and their bright harmonies give a track like “Hum” a cheery pop sound that’s further guided by the tight interplay of drums-organ-guitar in the best indie rock tradition. There’s nothing innovative about their approach, but the songs themselves—“Charmer,” “Nervous Kids,” and the rerecorded “Distress Single”—make the most of the basics and suggest that this band are at their best at their most stripped-down, where the simplicity of the garage rock organ and the Superchunk-meets-X harmony vocals lend all the urgency the band needs.