Tree City, the eagerly-awaited full-length debut by the New York quartet known as Robbers on High Street, has already been tipped by many as the first great rock 'n' roll album of 2005. The new disc—produced by the band and Peter Katis, whose credits include work with the likes of Interpol, Mercury Rev and the Get Up Kids—delivers on the abundant promise of the band's acclaimed debut EP Fine Lines, offering 13 bracing slices of brash, aggressive songcraft that blend youthful swagger and boundless energy with an insightful, introspective undercurrent that helps to set Robbers on High Street apart from the competition.

   Although they possess rock 'n' roll chops to burn, Robbers on High Street — singer/guitarist/keyboardist Ben Trokan, guitarist/vocalist Steve Mercado, bassist Jeremy Phillips and drummer Tomer Danan—also demonstrate considerable depth and imagination. Those qualities manifest themselves in the foursome's nuanced instrumental interplay and thoughtful, melodically inventive songwriting, which ranges from big, guitar-driven rock to subtly powerful balladry.

   That combination of restless musical creativity and lyrical insight elevates such memorable Tree City tracks as the witty, urbane "Spanish Teeth," the compellingly melancholy "Beneath the Trees," the infectious "Amanda Green" and the hauntingly intimate "Descender," whose pointed, pithy lyrics are matched by expansive arrangements that augment the band's punchy sonic stamp with judiciously deployed piano and horns.

   "I think it took us awhile to figure out what we really want and what sort of music we're good at making, but I think you can hear that on the album," Trokan notes. "I also think that these songs are more honest lyrically; I think we that maybe we were guilty of copping the whole rock 'n' roll attitude a little more on the EP. A lot of these songs are about figuring out who you are and what you want to do, about coming out of a protected realm to face the bigger world."

   Robbers on High Street began playing in public, and building a buzz on the NYC scene, during the summer of 2002. But the band's roots stretch back much farther. Ben and Steve have been friends since their preteen years growing up in the upstate New York town of Poughkeepsie. After high school, Ben moved to New York, where he met and began playing with Tomer. Back in Poughkeepsie, Steve reconnected with Jeremy, an old school friend. Robbers on High Street—the name came from the lyric of one of the band's early, discarded compositions—was officially born when the four began playing together.

   "When Steve and I first started writing together, we wanted to sound like Led Zeppelin, but we couldn't write stuff like that because we'd listened to too much Beatles as kids," Ben recalls, adding, "I think a big thing that helped us was that I took piano lessons at school and started writing songs on piano. I think that helped awaken my writing and take the songs to some places that they wouldn't have gone if they'd all been written on guitar."

   Tree City makes it clear that Robbers on High Street are more concerned with timeless transcendence than transient trendiness. "I like econo pop songs, songs that do just enough to get the point across," Trokan states. "Even now, I think our stuff is pretty schizophrenic, because we're still trying out different things and figuring out where we want to go. I love the Kinks, because they were this rowdy, unruly rock 'n' roll band, but at the same time they came up with these beautiful little songs about small things and everyday life."

   It's that same balance of life-sized lyrical truths and bigger-than-life melodic hooks that make Robbers on High Street stand out in a field crowded with ambitious young rock 'n' roll combos.

   "There's so many bands out there now that it can be a little overwhelming," the singer notes. "But there also seem to be a lot of young bands now who put a real emphasis on melody and songs, who make fun music that also has some substance, and they seem to be doing well and finding an audience. That makes me feel like there's a place for us."