Metro pop-rock five-piece The Surely Method recently released "Old Love," an emotionally charged collection of songs about friendship, love and growing up.

The band formed in Mustang in 2006, and recorded the debut album with Dave Copenhaver at Studio Seven, laying down 14 generally well-written songs that show potential, but struggle to snare a signature sound or style.

"Balloons" is dark and harrowing at times, with vocalist John Malatesta projecting an appealing airiness that layers well with a wash of guitars, bass and drums. The song has a stripped-down start and falls into devolving harmonic guitar notes, minor chord hits and simple drum accents that highlight an enjoyable free-form style missing from many of the album's other tracks.

The groove-fueled "Ecentric" is as jumbled as the spelling of the song's title' a mash-up of walking bass lines, crashing drums, slow-go guitar melodies and uninspiring vocals.

Simple acoustic guitars and lonely falsetto singing string through "The Sunrise Scenery," a song that highlights Malatesta's wonderfully fragile, affected tone.

"Old Love" sounds more like new love: excited and unbridled, but a little impatient and eager to prove everything, rather than celebrating the good things.

The Surely Method will perform at 7 p.m. Thursday, with Thrash Unreal at Convergence, 1755 N.W. 16th.

"”Joe Wertz