There are plenty of stories of bands that struggle for years to find cohesion, many of them breaking up before they ever come close. For the Cincinnati-area band The Newbees apparently cohesion hasn’t been much of a problem. Together as a group for only a short time, the band sounds polished and musically secure on their debut disc, Scenes From a Dilapidated Apartment.

While not marketed as a “concept” album, the most striking thing about the songs on Scenes From a Dilapidated Apartment is that they do sound as though they are capturing scenes that could be taking place in a cheap apartment shared by friends. Actually, the album sounds like the songbook to a really good play in a small independent theater in New York or Los Angeles.

Adding to that feel is the sharing of lead vocals between all four of the band’s members – Jeff & Misty Perholz, Chris Damele and Tim Selwert – with selections coming from both a male and female perspective. The tone of the songs also varies from cut to cut; although all are infused with the sort of sharp edged wit and humor that you might get from friends sitting around on a couch. The lyrics follow suite complete with discussions of the inane, the heart and a healthy dose of pop culture references.

“Devil of Us All,” a rant on our commercialistic culture, and “For the Painters,” about, well, painting, despite their lyrical differences share the bounce and slightly dreamy quality of late-60’s-early-70’s pop that bands like The Rascals used to do. The title cut and “Let Me Be,” meanwhile, carry more of a rock crunch to go with the songs varying takes on every day frustrations. And “Mary,” with its litany of complaints set to a driving beat, has to be one of the peppiest kiss-off songs ever recorded.

While the variety is welcome, the band’s strongest moments though come when Misty Perholz takes center stage. Her strong voice adds smoothness to the songs she sings, seemingly bringing out the best in the band’s musicianship. Whether singing about time slipping away on “Time” and “Little Things,” a blocked artist on “Good Sunshine” or the world of young adulthood on “22,” she kicks the band into a more measured, mature gear. Her work on “Maybe,” about a skittish lover’s confusion and hope, would garner more than a little notice were it from a more established artist.

Diverse and interesting, The Newbees might still be new but they’re definitely not suffering from any rookie mistakes.