Four songs. Three bands. The hooks are the point.

Hard-edged and driving. Tight rhythm parts, lead lines that know when to show up and when to get out of the way. Power pop with more weight than the name usually implies — the hook is right up front and the guitars make sure you feel it.

Mid-tempo melodic punk with a forward-leaning groove. Three-piece, locked in. The hook carries the whole thing and the band knows it — tight rhythm guitar, short melodic licks that add movement without ever breaking the flow. Plutonium Hat eventually took the advice of Rosemary Carroll — one of the most respected music lawyers in the business, who represented Nirvana, Veruca Salt, and others — and changed their name. Even the best lawyers give bad advice sometimes. You wouldn't sell much Diet Coke if you renamed it Bob.

The song-first track — and the first time leading my own project with my own songs rather than playing guitar for someone else. Open, warm, hook-driven. The imperfections are intentional. Non-slick playing was a deliberate choice to fit the vibe — this wasn't supposed to be polished and it isn't.

The outlier. Slower, spacious, introspective — the opposite of everything else here. Recorded with Jamie Sher, then recording as Jamie Blake for A&M/Interscope. Sustained notes, light vibrato, room between ideas. The melody is the whole thing.