Recently, I had the pleasure of seeing The Vaccines play their first New York show at Bowery Ballroom, and they had a superb opening act on the bill that night. Oberhofer was that band's name, and their tightly-spun quirk-rock songs lit up the venue in a way most young bands can only dream of.

There is more than a drop or two of Animal Collective in the feral yelps and howls that make their way into Oberhofer's lively tunes. But this is a resolutely guitar-based band, so perhaps that is not the most precise analogy. Nervy post-punk, then? Yes, that's closer to their style.

And the intensity of their playing, well, that's in a category of its own. I've rarely seen such fierce strumming, and complex interplay between two guitarists. (One of whom plays a mean glockenspiel too, I should note.) The fact that only one set of strings broke during their performance is a minor wonder.

This song, like many in the Oberhofer cannon, deals with the countless ways love can go wrong. "You're pushing me away from you/And I know what I'll do" frontman Brad Oberhofer declares, "I'll get you out of my mind." Then a tinny keyboard melody kicks in, and someone starts whistling. It's kitchen-sink post-punk, carried out with uncommon brio and genuine style.

On iTunes: Oberhofer / "Away FRM U"