Neumos has always felt a bit cavernous and unfriendly to me, like the room was built less for rock shows and more for raves or building airplane engines or something. Thankfully, last night's show wasn't one of those packed to the gills rockstravaganzas that the club normally hosts; red velvet curtains lined the sides and the back of the room, closing off the back of the room and making it seem much more like a small, welcoming room than it normally is.

San Diego's The Soft Pack (formerly known for a short while as The Muslims) are still relatively new kids on the block. 3 years and one record into their career, they've done time on the road opening up for Phoenix and Franz Ferdinand as well as getting some decent airplay on KEXP with their single "Answer To Yourself". At Neumos last night, they seemed to show the joys and pains of still being a young band, struggling with finding a consistent tone and level of energy in their set. Starting the set off strong with "Pull Out" (which I can't ever hear without thinking that it's a nod to Drive Like Jehu), the Soft Pack immediately went for their big guns, all strangulated surf guitar licks and primal, driving beats that erupt into bashed-out choruses.