The members of the band Lock and Key are (from left) Josh Hoey (bass guitar), Keith Casella (drums), Ryan Shanahan (vocals and guitar), and Mike Vera (guitar and vocals -- far right). (Globe Staff Photo / Dina Rudick)

Another angry punk/post-hardcore band? No, wait a minute. Lock and Key can dish the intensity, but this rampaging act also has a heady dash of hope in its music. "I do get [angry] at times," says singer/lyricist Ryan Shanahan (second from right). "But it's also important to look forward. It's like, 'OK, you hate this situation, but what are you going to do about it?' I want to know those answers."

Lock and Key's intense new album, "Pull Up the Floorboards," bristles with a punky drive, yet the hope is never far away. The song "303" describes "the winter's snow into the spring's new growth." Another track, "Ammonia," talks about starting over, while "Volatile" is about taking risks. The climactic "Opening" reveals how "new life penetrates and we move forward."

"Most of the songs are very personal," says Shanahan, a Watertown native who grew up with drummer Keith Casella. "I feel if I'm going to be up there screaming about something, it should be something I believe in."

Lock and Key is signed to Deep Elm Records, based in Charlotte, N.C., and has already done some extensive touring. "Well, with the lovely rent prices in Boston, we can only afford to be on the road for so long," says Shanahan. "We go two months on, then two months off when we have to come back to our day jobs."

Shanahan has a barking voice that could peel paint, but the group also has a promising melodic sense amid the locomotive rhythms. "We're all listening to a lot of different music these days," he notes. "We're listening to heavier stuff like Converge, but also more atmospheric things like the new Isis material and Mogwai."

LENGTH OF TIME PLAYING TOGETHER: Three years. MUSICAL INFLUENCES: Hot Water Music, Jawbreaker, Fugazi. WHO THEY THINK THEY SOUND LIKE:"We do sound similar to Hot Water Music," Shanahan says. "It's not a bad thing. They're my favorite band. But we're not a clone. It is important to all of us to do something unique." THEY'LL KNOW THEY'VE MADE IT WHEN: "We can quit our day jobs." QUIRKY FACT ABOUT THE BAND: "Everybody asks how I maintain my voice when I'm yelling every night for a long time. I've tried throat lozenges and teas, but the secret for me is water all day and beer all night. We always end up partying with kids after the show."

- STEVE MORSE