Diet Cig - Swear Im Good At This (2017) [Hi-Res]

Alex Luciano is a guitar-slinging human tornado on a Pixy Stix bender. As the singer, guitarist and one half of the undeniably charming duo Diet Cig, Luciano is known to bop, flail and high-kick around the stage. And that boundless exuberance is infectious, coaxing crowds into pop-punk sock hops. It's also emblematic of the joyful musical bond between Luciano and drummer Noah Bowman, who can frequently be spotted sharing a glance and a wide grin in the split seconds before Luciano leaps off the front of his bass drum. What began as a chance meeting at a house show in the Hudson Valley-based college town of New Paltz, N.Y., has sparked a vital collaboration and friendship. Diet Cig brilliantly bottles Luciano's energy on the duo's debut album, ''Swear I'm Good At This.'' Every track here is a frenetic showcase for Luciano's thrashing guitars and cooing harmonies and Bowman's pounding drums. And with every taut banger comes the kind of candy-coated melodies that dare you to resist shouting along in unison. ''Swear I'm Good At This'' all adds up to a snapshot of a young songwriter navigating through the yearning and boredom, ambition and insecurity that accumulates along the rocky path from adolescence to adulthood. The power of Diet Cig comes from the way Luciano and Bowman bolster these themes with affirming positivity in the form of delightful, explosive anthems. These songs will surely give anyone weathering their own tough moments the confidence to pick themselves up and dance.