This track, off of Jawbreaker’s 1995 album, “Dear You,” could be a sort of love song.

Lead singer Blake Schwarzenbach sings, “ ... I dreamed I was you/Sweetest dream I have had.”

But the chorus offers a different tone: “If you could hear the dreams I’ve had, my dear/They would give you nightmares for a week ... Come home so I can be a creep.”

The song becomes more of a pushy infatuation than puppy love. It’s as much about pushing someone away as wanting them near.

The track is darkly catchy. However, the album, Jawbreaker’s only major label release, barely survived. Released on Geffen Records, “Dear You” was rejected by fans because it appeared to be the band’s polished departure from its punk roots. Yet “Fireman” demonstrates that Jawbreaker could clean up without losing its trademark sound.

The guitars are less crunchy and Schwarzenbach’s voice is not as rough as in earlier Jawbreaker albums. Still, the relentless rhythm, coarse vocals and thoughtful lyrics are there. The previously out-of-print album has since been re-released on drummer Adam Pfahler’s label, Blackball Records. It’s a good precursor to what would be Schwarzenbach’s next band, Jets to Brazil.

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