If emo and New York fashion rock are as ideologically opposed as red and blue states-- weepy strings vs. buzzsaw guitars, maudlin lyrics vs. cynical ones, introspective sensitivity vs. extroverted cool-- then A.R.E. Weapons' sophomore LP attempts to be a bridge between the two. The band haven't abandoned the nihilistic front on which they made their name: tinny bounce beats ripe for a Jeezy or Weezy ad-lib still fart away under sewer-rock guitars, although this time around they've added a human drummer for a more credible thump. And Brain McPeck's smarmy vocals are still peppered with aggressively superficial lyrics that seem like tacit rebukes to anyone who's ever felt anything-- the throbbing dirge "Doghouse" is an ode to unfounded self-satisfaction; the Suicide-lite creep-out "Push 'Em Back" revolves frivolously around that time-honored cheer; the 8-bit pulse of "Who Rules the Wasteland?" continues to conflate NY nightlife with a weird Mad Maxian vision of post-apocalyptic turf wars.