Upstate New York trio
Quarterbacks breathe punk energy into singer/songwriter/guitarist Dean Engle's short, lovestruck songs, their self-titled debut spilling out all sorts of sweet, romance-obsessed feelings on 19 songs that rush by in a staggeringly quick 22-minute running time. Even with all the album's punk trappings -- sloppy, loud guitar chords, breakneck tempos, songs peeling off in a matter of seconds -- what really resonates is the softness of Engle's pure-hearted, sometimes charmingly naive songs. On "Last Boy," Engle sings to his crush, idealistically throwing off each of their romantic pasts over a burning backdrop equal parts
Minutemen and early
R.E.M. The songs are deceptively complex musically, with tunes like "Weekend" and "Never Go" shifting tempos and song structures rapidly. The album was recorded in a 12-hour session by
Swearin' member Kyle Gilbride, the producer responsible for recording great records by Philly devotional punk acts like
Waxahatchee and
Radiator Hospital, and
Quarterbacks fit into this scene fantastically. Engle's songs about pining for unattainable love, getting bagels with a friend, and reminiscing about waiting out a harsh winter while his dad watched sports all feel like fearless diary entries, saved from becoming twee clichés by
Quarterbacks' explosive delivery as well as their unaffected lyrical honesty. "Center" tells the ages-old emo tale of passing by the house of an unrequited love, seeing the light on in her window and wondering if she's alone. This time, though, as Engle remembers the way they met and almost fell in love, the song slows down at the end, walking away from the idea that any relationship is meant to be, reflecting instead that "as I get older, I realize that love is mostly situational." It's a powerful moment, and one that transcends love songs and punk bands altogether, while being fully immersed in both. Singing in a mumble that splits the difference between
Radiator Hospital's boyish wonderment and
Mount Eerie's cosmic Zen, Engle guides the album's zippy tunes into territory both musically and lyrically unexpected. Even at high volume and off-the-charts speeds,
Quarterbacks' main attribute is the wistful beauty that defines Engle's lyrics and attaches itself to the smartly composed tunes. ~ Fred Thomas