There’s a danger in namedropping bands when describing your own. Thankfully Parkhurst does it smartly with their self-titled debut album. Instead of blatantly comparing their band to the revered groups of past, Parkhurst describes themselves as drawing “upon the attitude, melodies and live shows” of Midwestern US bands like The Replacements, Naked Raygun, Pegboy and Hüsker Dü among others. They key here is that “draw upon” implies everence, not equal presence.

While the band was founded by Mustard Plug guitarist / vocalist Colin Clive, there’s no trace of that ska band’s sound in Parkhust. The band has simmered for a few years under the name Moniker, and that time has likely helped establish their solid sound. Many of the songs seem to be written with the interplay of two guitars in mind, the second of which is provided Clive’s former Plug bandmate Craig DeYoung. Former members of Carlton and North Lincoln / Don Knotts round off the rhythm section.

For a debut, self-released record Parkhurst does a lot of things right. They manage to establish their sound and direction and provide a few powerful tunes like “Petition” and “Tuesday” to keep things moving. While the band doesn’t drop any seriously killer “year end mix tape” material here, they quite amply establish the foundation from which they’re going to grow. If Clive’s day job ever goes sour, there’s certainly a positive future here.

So Parkhurst’s opening salvo avoids shooting themselves in the foot, which is always a plus. A band can look incredibly naïve when describing their sound with references to great bands past, but Parkhurst manages to so without folly.