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Though probably a supergroup only in the minds of Seattle music nerds, the combo of That Petrol Emotion singer Steve Mack, Sanford Arms guitarist Ben London (also the songwriter here) and Red Jacket Mine leader Lincoln Barr does guarantee that Stag really knows what it’s doing. And that would be straightforward, no-nonsense power pop. Loud, tuneful confections like “Ides of March,” “Don’t Lead With Your Heart” and “These Times” practically explode out of the grooves, brandishing hooks and guitars less like weapons than like placards proclaiming allegiance to melodic rock & roll. “Mountains of Steel” and “Chameleons” sneak some social commentary into the crunchy sweetness, proving that this music isn’t lightweight fluff, but the quintessential track eschews politics to combine the two things obsessing music geeks for decades: “Love Her Records” proclaims “I hate her, but I love her records” over the LP’s sharpest hook. Just to seal the deal on the band’s pop bonafides, the album ends with a cover of “Get the Message,” from the lone 45 by Eric Carmen‘s pre- Raspberries combo Cyrus Erie. Stag is pure guitar pop pleasure.
