On the last EP I heard from the Singularity, the band were traversing well-worn but well-meant post-Jawbreaker territory in that Banner Pilot/D4 sense. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Drunkenness, while a little more “original,” is unfortunately a little less interesting than the stuff that made up their side of that split with the Excuse.

There’s more of a scrappy, snotty, sing-along punk rock vibe to these tunes than before, with the vocals sounding different, too. There’s a guy with a cleaner kinda yelp that does a lot of the singing, in addition to a dude who lowly barks the lyrics in a gruffer way. Also, where before the band would subtly play with some dynamics and quietly varied methods of operation in terms of tempos or feel, this six-pack of tracks sounds very same-y, despite, say, “Not the Brightest Light Bulb” picking up the pace here and “Another Night in Oakland” having a moderately darker vibe there. The melodies never quite stick, though, and nothing ever comes along invigorating enough.

The winking clumsiness of this EP’s Dave Eggers reference shows these guys’ hearts are in the right place, but the execution comes a little disappointing given the band’s less recent showing of potential.

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The Poisoning of James Lee