After abandoning his acoustic emo project, Safe Bet, Gino Savarino searched for more musical freedom. Drummer Brady Corcoran had been in the same circles as Savarino for close to a decade, so naturally the two would come together to form New Age Thief last year. ‘Stars Align’ is the duo’s debut full-length, arriving just months after their ‘Memento’ EP.

Over the course of 28 minutes, Savarino and Corcoran radiantly lean into their emo-rock influences to produce a concise and solid album. From the outset, ‘Cherish’ thrives with raw guitars, anthemic hooks, and an abundance of energy. Its tone is maintained on ‘Circle The Room’s punchy percussion and Savarino’s occasional unhinged screams.

Savarino and Corcoran’s songwriting and execution is done with a comfortable sense of familiarity, bordering on a blend of 2000s and 2010s emo and alt-rock. For example, ‘Crumb’ is levitated by drifting instrumentation and duel harmonies before ‘Under Your Wing’ pounces in with a surf-pop melody and driving spine. ‘Memento’ is delivered with rose-tinted glasses. With its steady build and reflective words, it shows New Age Thief‘s capabilities to draw you in. ‘Out of Reach’s distorted fuzz and dynamic drum work makes it a late highlight before ‘Found My Flame’ provides one final blast.

The downside of ‘Stars Align’ is that two of its 10 tracks merely serve as interludes, yet this is a very minor fault in what is a promising debut outing. With the help of producer Brett Romnes (Hot Mulligan, Mom Jeans), New Age Thief sounds like seasoned songwriters and musicians, allowing them to elevate a set of hook-laden songs in the process more than a new band should do. Nevertheless, they’ve produced a solid record that delivers in short and sharp hooks with longevity.

‘Stars Align’ by New Age Thief is available now on Wax Bodega.