Ah, to be young and making it, man. With only two weeks left before the release of their debut record Time Capsuls II on NYC‰’s premiere “mindie” label Glassnote, Brad Oberhofer has to be a little pumped. This excitement was on full display at his band’s recent show at the Black Cat Backstage, as the NYC natives roared through a 45-minute set full of 3-minute power-pop shoutalongs.

Oberhofer‰’s music is far from complex, drawing its primary influences easily identifiable contemporary artists. Even through the seemingly endless barrage of major chords, the lyrics stood out as straightforward at best and juvenile at worst, with the vocal delivery landing somewhere between the west-coast lazy nasal of the Morning Benders‰’s Chris Chu and the playfully round “oh” of Ezra Koenig. The music itself toes the line between the Strokes and the Hives on cocaine, interlaced with riffy verses and Los Campesinos-style glockenspiel flourishes.

But none of this seemed to matter to the crowd, whose average age must‰’ve been Barely Legal (couldn‰’t help it), and rightfully so. The 21 year-old and his backing band brought the unabashed rock n roll energy that only youth can deliver, as he leapt off of monitors, kicked over guitar stands, and yelped his way through half the set with a half sheepish, half cocky grin. Each irresistibly catchy song was complete with a bratty introduction (“you guys excited for spring? its riiiight around the cooorrner, hah HAH,‰” and “We were just in Europe. So haaaard to communicate.‰Û), sing-along “woah-oh-oh‰” choruses, and communal hand-clapping. The show always teetered right on the edge of chaos, with moments where the energy threatened to run the band‰’s brand of strummy pop off the rails. But despite Oberhofer‰’s wild, narcotic-fueled onstage antics, the band remained incredibly tight and delivered the power-pop promise of bountiful hooks, youthful exuberance, and shameless naivetÌ© dwarfed by upbeat optimism.

If the show made anything clear, it’s that 2012 will be a big year for Oberhofer. The most enthusiastic demographic in the audience was teenaged girls, who swooned their way through the soundcheck and into the front row, taking the opportunity to bounce around, beam, and take as many Facebook pictures as possible. Complete with a charismatic frontman, indie-rock haircuts, memorable melodies, and an energetic live show, Oberhofer has every reason to be thrilled.

By Maxwell Tani