When using the term adult punk, it makes me think of post-hardcore or post-punk acts, where bands like Fugazi tempered the elements of Minor Threat and Rites of Spring to generate a kind of controlled energy and lyrics less about how things “should be” and rather how things “are.” Though that’s really just short hand for a pretty largely conceptual stance. Adult Crash doesn’t hit everyone, basically, or rather if it hits, the music being made can change to reflect maturity.

So with this in mind, Daylight Robbery’s first LP, Through the Confusion, is easily describable as “post-punk” but what I think it really should be called is “adult punk.” Daylight Robbery is a Chicago three piece made up of Christine Wolf on bass, David Wolf on guitar, and Jeff Rice on drums.

David and Christine trade off vocal duties, singing melody, contra melody and backing each other. David’s guitar tone is clean and slightly jangly with guitar lines ranging from simple of note walks to complex melodies which work themselves up and down scales while making call backs, but the guitar never overpowers the rest of the instrumentation. Christine’s bass is clean, but somewhat buried in the production for a lot of the album making it not difficult, but not obvious what the bass is bringing to some of the songs. Jeff’s drumming is good, able to mete out frantic if familiar patterns that compliment the overall style of the album, pushing everything forward while not overpowering in any particular capacity.

The songs are pulled from the experiences of David and Christine’s living in Chicago, where the lyrics have sharp urban tension to them, especially “White Sheets in the Street” which I feel is the strongest song on the album. “White Sheets” is about Christine was biking and saw the victim of a hit and run who had been stuck and killed. The offbeat twang and mournful “did anybody know her name” together evoke a hollow feeling about the anonymity of city living, strangers rather than neighbors.

The strength of this Through The Confusion and Daylight Robbery is that though it’s “Post Punk” “Adult Punk” or what have you, it’s very accessible and will find fans amongst almost any kind of rock as it’s not overly aggressive, nor is it flaccid naval gazing indie rock.

You can purchase the vinyl through Residue Records.