State Lines

State Lines [7-inch] (2012)

Joe Pelone

Dang, States Lines, you alright. Coming off like a sort of looser Brand New (straight up, these guys sound like a Long Island band, for whatever that's worth to ya), the group's new-ish self-titled 7" packs four tunes of scrappy, punky rock. Courtesy of the always reliable Tiny Engines, it's good stuff.

It's also pretty short stuff. "Plenty of Time" hilariously goes by the quickest, but that could just be because it's next to "5's on the Elephant," a.k.a. the best song on tap. That track does everything right. It opens with pounding drums and a simple, catchy guitar riff. Then it rolls out a jangly guitar solo to "butter" your "bread" before the vox kick in and remind all of us peoples, oh yeah, there's more song here. I expect State Lines to open all their shows with this song going forward, because hells yeah this track is the business.

B-siders "Cave In" and "Win Free" are pretty solid as well, although the production keeps the compositions from hitting their full potential. Granted, the levels have just enough grit to keep the tunes from veering wildly off course, but there are moments where the vocals get a bit buried, especially on "Plenty of Time." Then again, given the band's lo-fi roots, maybe this tone was just an artistic choice. No matter; State Lines is a nice little tease from a band still fresh from its 2011 formation, and a solid follow-up to their also interesting full-length debut Hoffman Manor. Hopefully, it's a sign of things to come, seeing as LP #2 For the Boats is on the horizon.