Every time I’m tempted to categorize Look Mexico’s debut full-length, This Is Animal Music, as a “mature offering,” I stop short. After all, this is the band that recently played a gig draped in full medieval armor…and a week later followed up by performing at a Beastie Boys tribute show. It’s also the same four people who stripped down to their unmentionables and smeared greasy pepperoni pizza over their orgy-entangled bodies for a photo shoot. It’s nowhere near mature.

It’s not that Look Mexico hasn’t grown up -- the 14 shiny-new, catchy-cum-quirky pop songs on This Is Animal Music are, simply put, light years ahead of anything the Tallahassee, FL band has recorded in the past -- but phrases like “mature offering” are just so (yawn) incredibly boring. Trust me: if you’ve ever met these boys or seen them tear it up on stage, predictability or tedium is the very last thing you’ll take from that experience.

And while it’s true that Look Mexico has undoubtedly sharpened their songwriting skills, tightened the instrumental interplay and broadened their experimental horizons since they released The Crucial EP last year, This Is Animal Music still embodies that indescribable vim and vigor that only youthful ambition and enthusiasm can spark. Maturity schmaturity…this is real creative progression, kids.

Look Mexico is one of those rare examples where the sum of its parts is greater than any individual contribution, where each kinetic, angular guitar note rings out, dancing around rippled bass lines while songs are propelled by spring-loaded drums and served up to the listener with warm, sincere pop hooks. Alone, Matt Agrella, Ryan Slate, Josh Mikel and Tyson Kuhlhoff are talented musicians. Together as Look Mexico, they are unquestionably something special.

Perhaps the most striking change in the band’s evolution is their grasp of discriminating restraint, allowing songs to breathe and blossom into something truly distinct while still embracing that playful, boundless nature that Look Mexico has always been known for. This Is Animal Music gives nods to driving, post-punk and complex math-rock without ever blatantly shoving it down your throat. Yes, the guitars intertwine and jitter flirtatiously and the dynamic rhythm section is tireless, but beneath it all, these are pop songs -- albeit pop songs with an unpredictable, impetuous slant -- and the band weaves its music around mountains of unforgettably catchy hooks. Matt Agrella’s voice is earnest and heartfelt; it’s certainly the focal point here, but one that allows for brightly swelling crescendos, subtle starts and stops and surging-yet-intricate textures that make Look Mexico’s music burst with vitality.

Sure, maturity is something that inevitably happens when a band plays together for a while…but it doesn’t mean that This Is Animal Music’s buoyant songs are anything less than lively and rollicking while still delivering an animated, eclectic punch. Let’s hope that Look Mexico – no matter how far they push their musical progression and artistry – always remains the proverbial kid at heart.

Matt Agrella (vocals, guitar), Tyson Kuhlhoff (bass), Josh Mikel (drums) and Ryan Slate (guitars) are Look Mexico. This Is Animal Music was recorded and produced by Jared Wynne and Look Mexico at Fort Norfolk and The Arsenal in Lakeland, FL as well as The Warp Zone and the Opperman Music Hall in the band’s hometown of Tallahassee, FL. This Is Animal Music will be released worldwide by Lujo Records on July 10, 2007.