Days of the New

In the 1990s, the grunge diaspora scattered to the four corners of the continent and toward the southern end produced such diverse acts as Paw, Matchbox 20, and Days of the New. The latter had to endure to an obligatory hazing from the press for being mere teens decked out in the profound anxiety and melancholy of adults, but they seem to be holding up fine after a storm of low-blows. Travis Meeks's bass growl earned the band predictable comparisons to Alice in Chains, though their emphasis on acoustic guitars in hits "Shelf in the Room" and "Touch, Peel and Stand" lends them a closer affinity with latter-day Pearl Jam.