Elder

It's not that much of a stretch to unite the worlds of At The Drive-In, Fugazi and Small Brown Bike. Each of those bands had their own original take on amalgamating chaotic, frenzied verses with unforgettably catchy choruses to create that enduring soft-loud-soft formula, as made commercially viable by the Pixies (after a lot of years) and, well, that "N" band from Washington State. In the case of this debut full-length though, Philadelphia, PA's Elder pull from those aforementioned influences but still manage to ensure Reflect is an oddity unto itself. Songs range from minute-and-a-half blasts of punk rock rage to six-minute bouts of epic, borderline emo, yet the whole experience caps itself in under a half-hour. It's weird and somewhat jarring, but because of the tangible devotion and distress put forth during these six tunes, it's enduringly engaging scream-y prog-punk.