Since their inception, Lithics seemed destined to transcend the promise of their previous bands. Counting members of yesteryear punk powerhouses like Psychic Feline, Nucular Aminals, and We Quit among their ranks, the Portland four-piece’s evolution has been relatively quick, culminating in their 2016 debut Borrowed Floors, one tape, and an EP of “audio ephemera” that includes many early versions of the songs on their new album, Mating Surfaces.
Opening with the spastic punk of “Excuse Generator,” singer/guitarist Aubrey Hornor’s stony delivery isn’t exactly deadpan—it sounds almost emotionless. That’s a good thing, regardless of intent: The discordant pushing and pulling of guitar squeaks and the buoyant rhythmic entanglement of bassist Bob Desaulniers and drummer Wiley Hickson allow the songs many fun, danceable moments. Fidgeting within the wiry aural real estate of similarly disjointed art-punks like Devo or the Minutemen, Hornor employs minimalist repetition, tightly woven guitar interplay, and choppy vignettes of no wave abandon with her enchanting Morse code vocals.