Police & Thieves owe a pleasingly aural debt to Dag Nasty, playing energetic, mid-`80s melodic hardcore tinged with a continuous theme of struggle, and I'll be completely fine if they never actually repay it.

Tracks like "Caught in Time" from the band's 2005 demo prove Police & Thieves would fit well on a bill with contemporaries like From the Ground Up and, interestingly enough, Thieves and Assassins-- if they haven't already played together, of course. With not much else to say about the quick, three-song disc, there is however a gratuitous little solo on "Behind Us," just so you don't forget the band's main influence.

But on later material, as in the band's self-titled 7" released in 2006 proves, growth has done the band good; instead of short, fussy bursts of thoughtful panic, the songs feel more complete and well-rounded. The desperation is certainly still there, but as with most bands who let their songwriting develop ever so naturally it's expressed a little more creatively. "Harbors" shows a more fleshed-out environment, throwing in a solid lead riff that propels the song to its finish, which feels more pent up and let out than past efforts. "Transparent Smiles" does the same, throwing in parts kids can't wait to two-step really slowly to (seriously, this transition is just waaaay slowed down and would feel more powerful sped up even slightly).

Demo 2005 and Police & Thieves are promising, sure, so let's hope the band builds on the pair of EPs in order to really stand out from the intense swamp of various hardcore bands popping up all over.

Demo 2005
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Lost Sight
Behind Us [MP3]

Police & Thieves 7"
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Harbors [MP3]
Strangers in the Same Town [MP3]