Shallow Cuts’ new 7-inch “Storm Watch”, (Sept. 23, 2014, No Idea Records) is a record that you don’t want to only contain four songs. The band lays their cards on the table early in the opener, “The Mission;” this band loves The Replacements, and is probably playing Fest (they are). The nation-spanning band features members of Dear Landlord, Dan Padilla, and Madison Bloodbath, so there’s no surprise there. The band features the gruff, poppy sounds from the Orgcore movement and layers in a thick serving of jangly acoustic guitar found on Replacements records. The song powers through it’s runtime and is immediately followed by “89 Suzuki,” which drops the acoustic and doubles down on the melody. This is powerful, energetic pop-punk music, which somehow manages to make itself at home in the current state of punk, while also setting itself apart from the pack. The music is tight, the tone is right, and the band is out-of-sight. I’m excited to see what’s in store from Shallow Cuts in the future.