Spitalfield REMEMBER RIGHT NOW (VICTORY)

Like plenty of other hardcore kids gone soft, Chicago’s Spitalfield take their cues from emo mainstays Jimmy Eat World and the Get Up Kids. So despite the mid-level production on their first Victory full-length, they’re full of commercial potential. They’ve already got the songs: the disc’s first single, "I Loved the Way She Said LA," is a brisk, hard-rocking daydream about puppy love gone west. When frontman Mark Rose counts the miles between Illinois and California as a token of his affection, the track even echoes TRL contenders (and fellow Chicago punks) Mest. On the opening "Those Days You Felt Alive," glammy guitar hooks frame Rose’s romantic exasperation: "I think I know but you won’t tell me/I’ve got this figured out and then you/Go and change it."

The gritty rhythm section is the sole allusion to the band’s hardcore past; otherwise, heartfelt lyrics, big melodies, and smart arrangements are the rule. Shifting tempos bolster the upbeat sincerity of "Am I Ready," and the closing "Make My Heart Attack" boasts major-league hooks. They reach too far on the cello-driven ballad "In the Same Lifetime," but don’t be surprised if Spitalfield realize their commercial aspirations before long.