Listen to the debut EP from punk newcomers Brackish and see them play live tonight at Boot and Saddle

There’s a new band looking to join the ever-expanding Philly punk scene, and their name is Brackish. The four-piece group has just released their debut EP Young People, a short but captivating album that toes the line between punk and emo rock, never fully stepping over on either side. Lead singer Connor Byrne’s vocals alternate between the crisp emo whine of American Football’s Mike Kinsella and the aggrieved punk lyricism of Modern Baseball.

Byrne’s lyricism isn’t Brackish’s only link to Modern Baseball — two of the group’s members, Jake Ewald and Ian Farmer, helped Brackish record and master the album at a Drexel studio.

The album’s best and longest track, “Spider Gets Killled in a Bar,” is the perfect example of Brackish’s dueling influences. While the chorus hovers closer to the emo side of the spectrum with a catchy but understated guitar line and a warm vocal harmony, the track’s climax is quintessential hardcore punk, as Byrne, supported by a piercing bass line, unleashes a brutal cascade of screaming vocals when he sings of his friend’s death.

Though the rest of the album doesn’t quite match the emotional intensity of “Spider,” the rest of the EP is still quite good. Other highlights include the relatively calm but catchy track “Any Better” and the frenetic garage-rock of “Cut.”

Brackish plays their biggest show to date tonight at Boot and Saddle, when they will open for Family Vacation. You can get tickets to the 21+ show via the XPN Concert Calendar.

In the meantime, listen “Spider Gets Killed in a Bar” below and check out the rest of Young People on Brackish’s bandcamp.