The jangly guitars and harmonicas that lead off Tectonics will lull you into a sense of false security. They’re warm and you’ve heard them before — this is going to be another pleasant, young, urban folk band.
And then Nathan Robinson opens his mouth.
It’s not hyperbole to say that Robinson is one of the finer lyricists writing today. These songs will sneak up on you. An intricate turn of phrase here or a standout couplet there will tickle your brain, and then you realize that your heart’s been ripped wide open.
While there’s some political commentary on the album (how could you not when you’re a band in DC?), Roof Beams excels with its more personal material. These confessionals are (paradoxically) more relatable than any broad statement about society today. The band works tightly to wring honest emotion out of every note. My only complaint about Tectonics is that it’s too short.
Here’s my favorite line from the album, on “American Alibi”:
The universe wrapped her legs around me
I’m not trying to brag
She did it ecstatically
The universe wrapped her legs around me
I stood there
Taking a backseat
I always thought we were enemies