A lot of bands have come out with a sound very similar to that of San Diego quartet The Soft Pack. Deadpan vocal delivery over distorted, simplistic guitar riffs and driving rhythms in two minute bursts has defined hundreds of rock bands since the inception of rock bands. Chances are, there are probably many out there without The Soft Pack’s PR weight who are doing it better. Nonetheless, seeing a band using a tried and true formula yield such impressive live results should happen more often.

It became clear very quickly Saturday night that this band is not as new as they seemed. The Soft Pack showed up on everyone’s radar due to the strength of their eponymous debut earlier this year. But of course, they’d already released one eponymous debut when they were called The Muslims, and plenty of those older tracks made it into the set list. No new band glides onto the main stage of the Black Cat with the ease exhibited by The Soft Pack. Guitarist Matty McLoughlin danced around with a huge smile as he played Hot Snakes-worthy guitar riffs, while drummer Brian Hill showed that an unconventional drum setup (bass drum off to the side, lack of hi-hat) doesn’t preclude tight head-bobbing beats.