Over nine songs and two interludes, Virginia’s Basement hammer out an album of consistently anthemic emo bangers. Defined primarily by yearning vocals, Dearly, focuses on power rather than complexity, helping to bridge the gap between contemporary power pop and emo’s post-hardcore roots.

Sturdy production and maxed out sounds help each of these songs achieve their cathartic highs, but the strained vocals do yeoman’s work in terms of defining Virgina’s Basement’s sound. Taken on its own, the music could fit into any number of indie-rock subgenres. I hear nods to quirky indie pop adventurers like Disq and, before them, Enon, as well as more tried and true pop punk purveyors like Yellowcard or godparents of the movement Bad Religion. Incorporation of synths, xylophones, and other instruments soften the overall sound a bit, playing a sonic game of tug-of-war with the hard-hitting vocals.

The vocal delivery is as emo as you can get – unleashed with intent, straining just to the edge of control but never losing it. Even tender songs are delivered with full-throated force, raspy and tortured, lending the music undeniable power regardless of what instrumentation backs it up.

Several of the songs reside in similar terrain – just north of mid-tempo, circling around two-chord progressions with keys picking out melodies. This is a formula that works for Virginia’s Basement, as it rarely sounds like retreading the same path; more like viewing a familiar scene from different angles.

As perfectly as Dearly, stands as a testament to the band’s ethos, I can’t help but wonder how much more powerful Virgina’s Basement is in a live setting. Maybe all that restraint lets loose, those keyed melodies shake free, that guitar tone burns a little more brightly at the edges. Who can ask for more from an album than to enjoy it on its own, knowing it still only hints at what the band is truly capable of?