Just Short of Sunday: Opening for Zac Maloy and The Chemistry Set Sat at The Aardvark, 2905 W Berry St, FW. 817-926-7814.

Being young in popular music may have seemed really exceptional a few years ago ("Jonny Lang -- genius," "Lil' Bow Wow -- genius," "Billy Gilman -- genius"). Now, it's just de rigueur. You could say that you actually owe it to your freshman self to in some way be involved in what is believed to be the ticket to self-worth, a future in an uncertain world, and, yes, limitless amounts of babe-age -- rock 'n roll. The young men of Just Short of Sunday (and they're young, like still-counting-pubes young) are different. They seem interested only in the pop-punk; art for art's sake and shit. The telltale signs: tight rhythm work, interesting arrangements, and wise-beyond-their-years lyrics. You could say that age, to the boys of JSOS, ain't nothing but a number. Their music and lyrics are that mature.

Granted, lyrics don't necessarily resonate as well on stage as they do on disc. Still, dig the way JSOS articulates the sensation of being romantically involved with a narcissist ("All For You"). The self-lover hasn't called, keeping the lover hanging on; the lover wonders whether or not the self-lover's aloofness is driven by anger or disinterest (most likely the latter, to the lover's dismay -- you know how chasers keep giving chasees the benefit of the doubt, just to keep that spark alive). The sentiment in "All For You," couched in thick riffage laced with a rough-edged two-guitar-string refrain (how lo-fi), could give broken-hearted punks of all ages the blues. Same with "Hit By Cupid" ("The worst way to miss someone / Is to sit right by them") or "For the Last Time" ("How many times do I have to try / Before you find me again?").