If it weren't for the fact that "What We Do Matters" is such a good song (hands down the best out of a considerable few here), the remainder of the Mantles' self-titled debut might have suffered greatly at that song's assertion that "what we do matters/ If you don't think so, take a good look around." It's not overly declarative or pushy-- in fact, there's a feeling of uncertainty in its delivery that asks you to step back for a minute and give the statement a fair once-over. For a San Franciscan four-piece that churns out the same kind of sharp, garage-minded jangle-pop as a lot of their fellow Left Coasters, it's a perfectly reasonable defense mechanism. Of course this kind of stuff matters to people on some level, and if the Mantles are ultimately fishing for a compliment, I'll give them this: Most of is much tighter and more athletic than stuff you'd traditionally find in this vein of late, with nearly every groove-furnished, guitar-spiked rumbler feeling more taut and refined with each listen. A lot of the talk about this band contains references to the Chills or the Dream Syndicate, and while a cursory listen will be able to dig that stuff up pretty quickly, most of the Mantles' debut packs more of a punch, as the Radio Birdman-propulsed "What We Do Matters" suggests. Pretty soon, the question has little to do with what matters-- they should've just had the balls to tell us that what they do is good.