There is this apparent resurgence of post-grunge music. Being a fan of the genre, I’d be the last to complain. Last year we saw the regrouping of Bush and the emergence of Dead Sara. The landscape seemed aptly fit for the late 90s sound to resurface minus the overabundance of plaid.

“High Maintenance” is the first of five tracks that Skyscratchers delivers on their self-titled release. The distorted guitar, heavy cymbal driven beats and raspy vocals, which launch from the first wavering guitar intro through the end of the track, deliver a power left to your ears and keep rocking through each track. In “Broke My Brain” the late 90s early 00s sound that resonated with the teenagers of the time converges with their lyrics belting out “It makes me drink too much/ it makes me think too much/ so I don’t…I’m not crazy/I’m just f***ing around.” The album transitions track-by-track as if it were recorded in order. By the time you reach the end, Skyscratchers progresses in their timing and compatibility. There is an identifiable sound throughout, but the last three tracks could be an entity of themselves. “Fist Day Off” revives a very “Padrino” style and leaves a great rolling punk style in my mind. Singing “It’s my first real day off/and I feel like I’m not taking advantage” it becomes increasingly aware that these guys have true punk in their blood. A kind of punk that wasn’t taken too seriously, with songs that were written with honesty and meaning while, at the same time, being about nothing at all. The track is addicting and by far my favorite on the album. Closing up the show with “House of the Clean,” they lay it all on the line; the Our Lady Peace style opening transitions into a very strong track.

Skyscracthers are not transcending music as we know it; they don’t need to. They’re simply adding their touch to a sound that has grown out of control and somehow overly politically motivated. Though their EP is only five tracks, they reel in the mess of punk-rock a bit and approach it as it should always be approached.