This Evansville, Indiana quartet made their name with a brand of fractured, scientifically American music that straddled the divide between hardcore and emo. Now those strands no longer play so well, they’ve found their feet, and are more reminiscent of Built To Spill than Fugazi. Big, chopped-up guitars and minor key melodies abound, proving that the Mock’s forte lies in dynamics. The tortured “Birds” and the cello and vocal layering that propel “This Nation” indicate an ageing-up process?one that benefits from sophisticated arrangements and says so long to brute force anthems.
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