In the spring of 2006, I drove to Grand Rapids with my best friend to see mewithoutYou with Thursday. In between the two was a group called Minus the Bear.

I had heard the name before (and kept confusing them for Iwrestledabearonce), but had never heard them. Honestly, I was a little underwhelmed by their almost clinical stage presence, but there was a technical prowess to what they were building that enticed me. And on record, those technicalities blossom into an intricate masterpiece.

You’d never guess by listening that Minus the Bear was essentially a supergroup of various Seattle hardcore bands—particularly, mathcore pioneers Botch. At the surface, Highly Refined Pirates sounds a bit like a middle-of-the-road indie rock band like Two Door Cinema Club or Foals. Nothing is outstandingly weird or challenging about it.

But this pop sensibility is crafted by absolute masters. Erin Tate’s drumming is filled with off-time accents, odd signatures, and unconventional fills. Bassist Cory Murchy and rhythm guitarist Jake Snider place chord changes in unusual places. Keyboardist Matt Bayles (here simply credited with “electronics) creates sparkling textures underneath and between the songs.

But the real star of the show is lead guitarist David Knudson, who splits his time between mathy double-handed tapping and pedalboard manipulation (he famously has two loopers, which he uses to chop and screw his guitar lines into unrecognizable loops). His line in “Get Me Naked 2: Electric Boogaloo” is required for all students of tapped guitar, but the blistering riff in the chorus of “Let’s Play Guitar In A Five Guitar Band” is transcendent. Together, the group creates pop music that is as intricately crafted as anything Collection of Colonies of Bees has done, all while maintaining a danceable groove.

But that doesn’t mean it’s all laid back indie pop. There are a few moments where their hardcore history rears its head. “I Lost All My Money At the Cock Fights” climaxes with a series of crashing chords that could almost be a breakdown if Erin lost himself a little more. “Spritz!!! Spritz!!!” is a stabby dance-punk track augmented with growling synths before exploding in its closing minute.

It’s a little disingenuous to call this Minus the Bear’s debut—they released two (rather lengthy) EPs before this full-length. And that experience shows. Highly Refined Pirates is a…well, highly refined work. Deceptively poppy and masterfully crafted.