Colorado Springs trio Rough Age harkens back to that moment in the late ‘70s when the genre was alive with keenly incisive and cleverly biting pop craftsmen like Warren Zevon, Nick Lowe and Graham Parker, to name a few.

Sparse on lyrics, but they‘re delivered in a pensive style that has to be compared to Elvis Costello, which should be taken as a compliment. In another life, [Flammable Parts] might have been a hidden track on King of America.

“Achilles” is catchy as hell. ... Musically, this might be my favorite.

Opening number “Adelita” displays subtlety and detail, and builds angsty menace one chord at a time. “Al Jazeera” is almost jazzy by contrast - without sacrificing one iota of guitar-pop appeal - and ”Summer Skies” opens their sound in much the same way early records by The Police found space.

Archer‘s a gifted songwriter and vocalist, and the band‘s overall sound is reminiscent of Elvis Costello when he still had it.