The debut from White Reaper probably should slay harder than it actually does. The album art for White Reaper Does It Again (Polyvinyl Records) looks like a snapshot from some DIY remake of Scream, with a driver heading to his death at the hands of the band’s namesake. It’s what one might imagine the cover to Iron Maiden’s demo tape might look like, if such a thing were to exist. However, despite how grisly White Reaper’s aesthetic may be, Does It Again is just boiled-over power-pop from front to back.

Hooks are arguably far more present on Does It Again than on last year’s self-titled EP. White Reaper had its moments, especially with “Half Bad” and “Cool,” the Louisville crew’s best song to date. On the new record, the fuzz is slighter, and where the voice of lead singer and guitarist Tony Esposito used to blend in with his rapid down-strum, now it is the closest to the forefront it has been. That down-strum is backed by the core of brothers Sam and Nick Wilkerson (bass and drums respectively), making Does It Again an absolutely relentless rhythmic bombardment. From opener “Make Me Wanna Die” onward, White Reaper bashes through the record largely in an enraged time signature. It would be Ramones-esque if their songs weren’t more distinguishable, but that said, it might have worked to White Reaper’s advantage to vary their flow here and there.

Even in all of the record’s sameness, it’s apparent that Does It Again is a band coming into its own. Songs like “Pills” and “Alone Tonight” are akin to tracks that made up the debut records by beachy rockers like Best Coast and Surfer Blood. And like those coming-out albums, Does It Again isn’t groundbreaking stuff (there’s about a dozen or so garage-rock and power-pop artists lifted here, ranging from Jay Reatard to The Who) but still not a single one of its 12 tracks feels like filler. In short, Does It Again is a no-surprise, high-fidelity stepping stone for White Reaper’s fresh career.