I grew up in Dayton, Ohio, a short, but often aggravating, one-hour drive up that cluster-fuck of a stretch of I-75 from Tweens’ hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. When Bridget Battle shouts, “this town…it’s eating me alive”, on the album’s opening track, “Bored In The City”, I can dig where she’s coming from. Cities like New York City or Los Angeles often are painted as places that can eat one up, but I imagine this akin to a lion or bear mercifully quickly tearing you to shreds. Southwest Ohio eating you alive is more like a pack of shrews methodically gnawing and nibbling away at your being. America’s Midwest really is the perfect locale for festering youth disaffection; it kind of makes you wonder what all those big city bands from NYC, LA, or London could possibly be bored with.

Self-proclaimed “trash pop”-sters, Tweens faithfully replicates classic punk’s lo-fi aesthetics, whether out of intention or necessity, as they often sound more like they are plucking and bashing away at household objects found in their utility closet than actual musical instruments. As a matter of influence, though, Tweens draws more from post-punk New Wave and ‘90s garage/punk revival, displaying a heartier knack for pop hooks and themes of the heart than punk’s roots had.

Lyrically, Battle covers all the bases one would expect with utmost frankness – it doesn’t get much more direct than, “I want you to be mean to me” (“Be Mean”), the anti-Beatles, “I don’t wanna hold your hand” (“Girlfriend”), or just simply, “I want youuuu-oooooh” (“I Want U”). Teenage and twenty-something disorientation and boredom, falling for the trappings of a bad boy/girl, and fear of commitment are well worn, but elastic themes, that dependably offer mileage despite their prevalence in pop/rock music. The risk Battle runs here, though, is just how many times can you visit and revisit them before boredom itself sets in for the listener?

That onus falls on the music and, more often than not, Tweens shake up their formula just enough to keep things interesting. “Bored In The City” and “McMicken” belie their lyrical theme with their giddy, mosh-hop and bop choruses. “Don’t Wait Up”s sturdy, mid-tempo meter offers a welcome change of pace to the throttling and barreling of the tracks surrounding it, while obvious singles, “Be Mean” and “Forever”, sport the most discernable pop hooks here, offering as perfect of a sweet and sour balance as a pack of Sour Patch Kids.

The band does hit a rough patch in the latter half of the album, where they tend to rely on a token punk-pop motif and songs begin to become undistinguished. Fortunately, this stretch is interrupted by “ I Want U”, arguably the album’s standout track. Backed by merely an electric guitar strum, wading in a subdued sea of feedback, Battle finally lets her guard down, conveying heart-on-the-sleeve yearning as stark and naked as her musical accompaniment. The points where Tweens show their willingness to deviate from their stock blueprint show a promise that will be crucial to realize as the band will inevitably need to evolve and mature as they age.

Punk rock and its various amalgams often fight one end or the other of the style vs substance spectrum, typically due to an ironic, overwhelming self-consciousness. Tweens pulls no punches, though; this is basic music and these are basic words expressing basic emotions. It’s cheap kicks; escapist entertainment; a fitting balm for the very aimlessness that Battle sings about. Hopefully Tweens realizes just as much return on their investment as we do.