The great paradox of punk rock is that fans love it because it's fast and loud, but for the folks playing it, fast and loud in and of itself is only interesting for so long, and most (though not all) worthwhile punk bands eventually find themselves moving into more stylistically varied territory a few albums into their career. Houston's are no exception to this principle; while their first two LPs found them cranking out smart and capable old-school punk with stylistic debts to and , 2011's is something different. haven't forsaken their allegiance to punk rock, but these 12 songs display a greater stylistic sophistication than the music on or , with the pop hooks being given more room to move in the group's melodies and acoustic guitars and keyboards providing some added flavor and texture to the arrangements. This music is smarter and more carefully crafted than have attempted in the past, but it's no less passionate, and there's plenty of energy and purposeful anger on display; vocalist and guitarist remains a forceful presence even with the tempo turned down a bit, while 's strong, melodic basslines and 's steady, no-nonsense drumming give this music a solid foundation that keeps it rooted, wherever it chooses to go. Don't worry that have slipped into post-punk doldrums on ; are clearly still their role models, but they've moved on to the more ambitious approach of , and they have the talent and the ambition to make their music work on a broader canvas. Hopefully they're smart enough to avoid making their own a few years down the line. ~ Mark Deming