Art is Now Human was an interesting album, with creative but sometimes constrained songwriting, though it had solid guitar feel and something for lovers of experimental projects and math rock. What should also be said about the album is that it was a bit tepid, it gorged on influences during songs like “Observationalist,” which had a completely sophomoric feel and very little, if any direction.

Diesel City is a leaner, more angular creature than Gist’s earlier material, with the curious ability to shift velocity on a dime. Songs break stride, they fade left, and come back to the original direction with notable momentum. The layering has a nice feel to it, the rhythms are texturous, and when the beat is straight ahead, it is aggressive.

After eleven years of gigging, recording, and changing lineups, Gist offers up a solid record in Diesel City. For the past three years, the power-trio of Nayal Bhula (vocals, guitar), Timothy Burton (drums), and Finley Martin (bass) have been diligent learning not what to add, but what to take away. Martin has played with Gist since 2000, while Bhula and Burton have toured and recorded for over a decade. Red Stapler Records, their own production company which also works with acts like Morris and The Chance, has done a thing or two for their skill at arranging a full length recording. And the experience speaks for itself. Though while Gist might hope their record is a kick in the teeth sort of wake up call to modern rock, it really isn’t. Diesel City is a good album, a big step in the right direction for a band which has proved itself time and again on stages in Washington DC and the greater portion of the east coast.