Kevin Bronson on August 31st, 2015

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Like the string of singles and the EPs that preceded it, Line & Circle’s debut full-length “Split Figure” screams “serious” from the first gargantuan chord to the last pleading lyric. This is not a bad thing. This decade could use more music with meat on its bones, as opposed to fall-back retroism, empty bombast and the inelectable pop candy. Midwestern transplants Brian J. Cohen and Brian Egan have slowly been carving out their niche in L.A. for about five years now, making songs with the kind broad sonic strokes used by ’80s and ’90s alt-rock torchbearers (before alt-rock choked on its own excesses).

The songs by and large grapple with the duality of self, says Cohen, explaining: “There is an inner self that reflects what we think we are, and an outer self that is how others really perceive us. True self-knowledge is when you become aware of each, and begin to reconcile both into one.” Which is not new fodder for songwriters, to be sure, but Cohen’s smart negotiations avoid both the grandiosity of ego and the frippery of indulgence.

Owing to the presence of previously released singles like “Roman Ruins,” “Wounded Desire” and “Mine Is Mine,” “Split Figure” does have a certain majesty, though. For that, credit goes to guitarist Eric Neujahr for his impeccable licks, the rhythm section of Jon Engelhard and Nick Cisik and all three producers who have their fingerprints on the record — Lewis Pesacov (Best Coast, et al), Jonathan Low (The National) and Brian McTear (The War on Drugs). Fans of R.E.M., the Smiths, Echo & the Bunnymen and the Smithereens will find a lot of like about “Split Figure,” which is out Oct. 2 via Luke Top’s Grand Gallop Music.

||| Stream: “Like a Statue”

||| Previously: “Wounded Desire,” “Mine Is Mine,” “Roman Ruins”