I hear a bit of early Unwound in Learns to Love Mistakes, the debut full-length from the Milwaukee trio Absolutely, but I hear a little bit of early Unwound in pretty much every post-hardcore album I love, so perhaps it's best to take that comparison with a grain of salt. Like Unwound, though, Absolutely tempers the gloominess and ferocity of its uneasy punk with the slightest trace of a reassuring smirka bit of levity in a guitar riff, or a winking lyric or two between screams that says, sure, society is going to hell in a hand basket, but it's not really as bad as all that.
At its best, Learns to Love Mistakes is downright giddy: opener "Boat Punk Crust Chic" isn't self-conscious enough to care how much it resembles At The Drive-In; "Big Party at a Robot House" can barely contain itself in the build up to the Nirvana-ish release of its chorus; and "Circus Lion in a Bathtub," "No You Kan't" and "Denim on Denim" spray mathy riffs around like silly string. Shane Hochstetler's clean production hits home how tuneful these songs are.
The album is available on Bandcamp now for free streaming and $5 download in advance of its upcoming LP release. Absolutely plays two shows this week: One tonight at the Y-Not 3 with Is/Is, Busybodies and Sonic J, and another Saturday night at the Cactus Club with Death Dream, John the Savage and Animal Lover.
