by Stephen Thomas ErlewineHailing from Louisville, KY, via Charlestown, IN, Days of the New is a teenage alt-rock quartet that slams out heavy, post-grunge rock with the force of a group twice its age. Frontman Travis Meeks was only 17 at the time the group recorded its eponymous debut, but his songs aren't light, naïve things -- they are laden with heavy meanings and throttling chords. Occasionally, Meeks reaches too hard -- every so often, his vocals and lyrics strain to hit their mark -- but he shows promise, and he's backed with a band that can hammer away such slight flaws. Days of the New isn't a perfect album, but its best moments prove that teenagers can rock as hard, and with as much purpose, as adults.