With the rather auspicious start The Bronx had, it's no wonder that they are still under investigation by the scene police. It's not often that a band can get away with instantly landing high-profile shows, ink a major label deal with minimal effort and cleverly release an album on an indie while still being on the major label payroll; yet these charges are all included on The Bronx's rap sheet.

However, on this, their official release for Island Records, the veil of mystery has been pulled back and the music is left to do the talking, and luckily enough, it will be a conversation many will want to have. Essentially "The Bronx" is a modern punk meets classic dirty rock n' roll hybrid that could be seen as bearing similarities to the likes of older Vaux or even Every Time I Die closing a bar with Guns N' Roses.

It's edgy, cleverly stylized and yet it doesn't reek of production gloss when it steers towards more commercial avenues. Indeed, an anomaly in a time where pro-tools reign supreme, nearly everything this band spit out sounds dingy and lived in, while still remaining intriguing and catchy. Whether it's balls out grating screams and driving rhythms or sullen melodic introspection, the levels of authenticity and emotional commitment rarely wane.

While the bands primary influence would seem to be punk, they eschew the the cliches of that genre and instead take the instrumental scope in a broader range akin to the Queens Of The Stone Age or Early Man on a badly-cut cocaine binge. Gilby Clarke of Guns N' Roses fame once again shows up and takes a hit of this on the rather down-home closing track "White Guilt"; capping off an energetic, if not hedonistic romp through American sleaze.