Absolutely

Milwaukee’s love affair with melodic post-punk stretches backward (at least) to the days of ’90s titans like Cap’n Jazz, Compound Red, and Alligator Gun. Clearly indebted to the DNA of those groups, but with a 21st-century genetic profile all its own, Absolutely returns the city to an era of heavy, angular, and anthemic scream-alongs. The band’s terrific debut, Learns To Love Mistakes, was recorded last year by the prolific Shane Hochstetler of Howl Street Recordings. Stocked with jagged guitars, bouncy bass lines, and yelping, heart-on-sleeve vocals, songs like “Boat Punk Crust Chic” serve as a warm reminder of where the Milwaukee music scene has been, and a thrilling indication of where it’s still headed.

Updated 03/07/2012