

With a race-to-the-finish-line attack, the New Paltz, N.Y.–based trio QUARTERBACKS pack 19 songs into 22 minutes of sweet, sweaty, and romantic ideals. Songwriter Dean Engle works with the indefatigable rhythm section of Tom Christie and Max Restaino, and they give their self-titled debut album the relentless force of a hardcore pop band. Recorded in roughly 10 hours, the album is reminiscent of The Minutemen crossed with a healthy K Records fixation. It's hard to single out individual tracks without including them all; Quarterbacks is that rare album where the gestalt is as important as the many charming singular moments. Though, okay: “Lauren” is pretty special.