What I Want Doesnt Want Me Back＜Ice Blue Vinyl＞

A band that has drawn on a variety of 90s alternative inspirations (grungy alt-rock, winding math rock, tuneful pop-punk, shoegaze, and more), Cusp find their way to something still varied but more streamlined on their second album, What I Want Doesnt Want Me Back. Some of its relative consistency may well be due to how it was recorded: it was tracked almost entirely live at Electrical Audio in Chicago by a newly expanded five-piece edition of the group (with returning engineer Scoops Dardaris). This is not to say that the album suffers from sameyness; on the contrary, it was written during a period of transition as the project moved from Rochester, New York, to the Windy City, and is rooted in anxiety and the examination of forces like validation, acceptance, and purpose. It opens with the soft attack of "Healthy Living," a sparkly, midtempo reflection with brief, distortion-clad interruptions. The albums high-contrast centerpiece, "In a Box," takes this further, with its driving indie rock dropping out for spacious, percussive choruses in which bright-voiced lead singer Jen Bender objects -- addressing herself -- "With all of the love on the planet/Youd have me sit in a box/Lock it up tightly, just me and my thoughts/So safe and comfortable, gnawing my nails off." Shes more optimistic, at least when shes winning, on the grungy "I Like My Odds," and contemplates the need for planting your own seeds for growth on the jauntily countrified "Give Up Your Garden." Elsewhere, "Lie Down" combines compact hooks, busy rock drums, and noodly guitar riffs with irrepressible vocal lines that seem to merge confrontational alt-rock and musical theater. It makes for an appealing set of contrasts and an off-balance feel that work well together on What I Want Doesnt Want Me Back, which marks another shift for Cusp as their Exploding in Sound label debut. ~ Marcy Donelson