For every American Eagle and Abercrombie and Fitch that pops up in freshly renovated malls across the country, upbeat pop rock provides the soundtrack to the feeding frenzy of $60 distressed jeans and wrinkled rugby shirts. Wheat, however honest its intentions, is producing music that fits this niche a little too nicely.

Wheat’s major label debut, Per Second, Per Second, Per Second…Every Second is glossy and safe, but hints of studio trickery and sprinkles of synthetic undertones keep the disc from sounding too flat and too sterile. Producer Dave Fridmann, who has worked with the Flaming Lips, adds some polish to tracks that, aside from album highlight “Go Get The Cops,” would suffer in their raw, demo states.

Lead singer/guitarist Scott Levesque can sing, but his lyrics suffer from generic takes on generic topics (i.e. falling for a girl, chasing a girl, working things out with a girl) and he doesn’t stretch his pipes or test his limits. Many of the songs on Per Second are sung in a soft, flat tone, leaving huge discrepancies in the ratio of highs and lows and negating the opportunity to create dynamics that will keep listeners hooked for repeat listens.

The guitars skew toward capo-driven melodies àla John Mayer, Jason Mraz or one of the many other ironic-trucker-hat-wearing popsters that are saturating the market, but Wheat doesn’t sound like it’s forcing the matter as much as its competition. The band is being real, and it’s staying true to its vision, but that may not be enough in a chew ’em up and spit ’em out music market.

Without taking any risks, “Life Still Applies” rolls along at a steady TV-soundtrack pace, as does “Some Days,” but the biggest standout on Per Second is “Go Get The Cops.” The simple lullaby, sung much like one, is backed simply by a bare-bones keyboard and the soft tapping of some drums.

Of all the songs on Per Second, it feels like the most “real” track in the collection. Stripped of the ménage of accents that fill every crevice throughout Per Second, “Go Get The Cops” is almost untouched and hints that there may be something more to the guys from Wheat than the rest of the album lets on.

There are hints at depth on the earnest “The Beginner,” the somewhat-ethereal “This Rough Music,” and the skittish “Closer To Mercury,” but the acoustic-meets-Pro-Tools sound of “I Met A Girl” sounds processed. Ex-Toad The Wet Sprocket frontman Glen Philips appears on the bouncy pop standard “These Are Things,” but the track sounds thin and not as turbo-charged as offerings from like-minded artists.

Perhaps Wheat’s biggest problem will be finding the right radio format and right demographic to get its music to the masses, if the group isn’t being spun in your local mall right now. Almost all of the songs on Per Second don’t sound like they were made for the radio, and however evil and diluted the Clear Channel empire may be, airplay is critical to young bands hoping to keep their major label contracts and tour consistently.

Wheat’s audience is out there, but how the band will reach them is the big question. Currently touring with Liz Phair, the threesome will need to breathe new life and energy into Per Second‘s cuts if they are to be remembered as anything more than “the band that opened for Liz Phair.”

Grade: C