Named for a Ben Howard song, Olde Pine are a quietly successful emo band in a scene that is bursting at the seams with contenders. Early releases saw the quartet (originally as a duo) craft winding ‘twinkle daddy’ fare that blended emo confessionalism with technically impressive math rock influences. On paper, this formula is far from original, but on their latest record, The Jawns, Olde Pine seems to be more than willing to differentiate themselves from the crowd of their contemporaries. Opener “Ham Porter” introduces itself with punchy guitar work and a cheesy synth that could have been ripped from a Smash Mouth cut. Straight-faces, then, are clearly not this record’s affinity, but that’s far from a detriment. A vein of nostalgic fun winds through The Jawns, from the cover art to the smart and always pleasant instrumentation. “Tip a tall beer back, cut yourself some slack” sings the band’s collective vocals in “Delgrengo’s”, opening the listener to the lighthearted attitude inherent in the record. It’s this breezy feeling that makes the more emotional moments of The Jawns seem that much more poignant. “Mr. Pavo’s Jackhammer Tricks” provides our first of these moments, slowly burning to a dark, reverb-heavy peak that stands out as one of the best moments on the album. These more tender moments are spaced relatively evenly throughout the record, giving it a roundness that prevents the pitfall of feeling like an aimless collection of songs. This isn’t to say that the subject