The Cabs "Recur Breath"

The Cabs have shared stages with British math-rockers This Town Needs Guns, Norwegian prog-pop band 22, and respected locals like electro-punks Polysics and postrock act Te'. The Tokyo trio debuted last spring with their "First Incident" EP. They released their sophomore EP, "Recur Breath," in mid-December.

Six-track "Recur Breath" opens with the explosive "Spiral of Kielce." The song has bassist Shuto Yoshikatsu and guitarist Takahashi Kunimitsu trading off vocals atop hard-hitting, angular rhythms, with Kunimitsu's screamo-styled yelps amping the energy level. Yoshikatsu's melodies dominate the next number, "Camm Aven." A polished piece of radio-friendly alt-rock, Itta Nakamura's frantic drumming leads the band into a brief bout of powerful mid-song math rock, a move that makes it a much more interesting track.

While Yoshikatsu handles most of the vocal duties on "Recur Breath," the disc's strongest moments come when Kunimitsu chimes in with backup shouts. While "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "Detoxified Sea of Trees" follow similar sonic paths as "Camm Aven," the contrast between Kunimitsu's impassioned hollering and Yoshikatsu's polished delivery on both tracks adds a stronger sense of urgency that makes for a more lasting impact.

Like "First Incident" before it, "Recur Breath" shows definite potential. But as The Cabs move forward, delving deeper into the screamo side of their music may make their first full-length a more dynamic production.