Yeah, it’s true: Roomrunner sounds a little bit like Nirvana. In concert, they even look a little bit like Nirvana, since guitarist/singer Denny Bowen often dresses in character, sporting era-appropriate and suspiciously Cobain-esque duds (flannel shirts, a horizontal striped sweater). There’s more to the Baltimore-based quartet's debut album, Ideal Cities, than expert Bleach homage, though. The record’s opening track, “Bait Car,” is a mini-symphony of expertly appropriated skronk-rock cues that pull from the non-grunge ’90s (Jawbox, Polvo) and contemporary riff-rocking peers (Dope Body, Metz) as much as they do from the Seattle sounds of yesteryear.

Roomrunner have been comfortable with its heavy, sludgier side since the get-go, but "Bait Car" drops hints that the band has become less self-conscious about shooting for big, emotive moments. Bowen barks his verses over a crunchy, cyclical bass line before heading to what sounds like the chorus. It's a fake-out, though. After a brief interlude of ping-ponging guitar riffs, the band heads back for a entirely different, stronger, and totally buzz-clip-worthy shout-along.

[from Ideal Cities; out 05/28/13 via Fan Death]