Signals Midwest play punk with a lot of words. Words arranged in actual sentences, telling stories instead of using the lyrics for purely rhythmic and singalong purposes. Dent is their fifth album, and it’s the first I’ve personally reviewed even though I’ve followed the band from afar over the years. The lyrics are personal, but consistently positive in tone, which separates the band from others who dabble in emotional, self-reflective punk. It’s serious, but it doesn’t take itself too seriously.
As whole, Signals Midwest play indie inspired punk rock. It’s midtempo but always moving forward. There’s no chugging. Instead, structures move in linear fashion, as if following a plot. Think of both Jawbreaker and Jets To Brazil at different times, with the core sound leaning more Jawbreaker of those two. Take “Gold in the Grey” as an example, which I feel showcases the sound they’ve honed over time. It starts like a ballad with simple strumming, then vocalist Maxwell Stern shifts his tone from remorseful to positive and the drums kick in. It builds from gray to gold, if you will.
Dent isn’t a collection of songs, it’s an album. There are singles here, but each song flows together cohesively and you aren’t skipping in the middle. While the main flow is fast, flowing, narrative punk, there are a few slower moments and nice changeups. “Guest Room” shows how Stern can actually sing, hitting some impressive notes. His lyrics flow in tandem with melodic guitars, while a rougher bass line gives the road bumps along the way. “Sure Of It” is a ballad and duet with guest vocals from Bacchae. But it’s still just one minute in length which summarizes a key differential with the band. It’s not self-indulgent. It captures the mood and moves on. They even throw in some acoustic guitar with “Love and Commerce,” which has something of a solo vibe to it. It also features a quintessential lyric that sums up the group nicely: “Anyone can write/ a song for Saturday night/What about Sunday morning?”
The record ends on “It Left A Dent,” which drives home a positive ending. Moments in this song remind me a bit of Hanalei if that band went for a loud effect. It’s thoughtful and deliberate composition. But it shares that intangible blue-collar, community-minded punk ethos that’s impossible to quantify. I see that Lauren Records calls it “smiley punk,” and I’m 100% on board with that description.
