When Ryan Fox left pioneering San Diego quartet Fishwife (the first group to record for Headhunter Records), the band’s three remaining members could’ve hung it up. Instead, they took a summer vacation, then returned as this propulsive, rhythmically taut trio. Following a handful of strong singles, singer/guitarist Gar Wood, bassist Matt Ohlin and drummer Chris Prescott teamed with Drive Like Jehu drummer Mark Trombino to produce their impressive debut. Wood, a far less theatrical vocalist than Fox, strains his (sub)urban tales of alienation through a dry, nasal larynx that works well with Tanner’s angular, dynamic songwriting. Rather than write verse-chorus-verse punk, the trio piles riffs together — sort of a “hey, this would sound great after that” style — and the almost effortless march through complex changeups is engaging, quirky and cool. “Catalogue” is a great example of this skillful approach, as are “Hey Jigsaw” (which suckers the listener in with a loping hook before delivering a fiery gear change in mid-song) and “Guard Dog,” a sinister dirge about paranoia.