SoCal mood-rockers Mad at Gravity don’t have much in the way of underground cred: they got signed before they ever went on tour, and this is their first professional recording. But paying scenester dues has never been a prerequisite for the kind of commercial-rock stardom these guys are going for. And with the help of producer Steve Evetts, a distinguished East Coast hardcore alum who’s worked with Hatebreed and the Dillinger Escape Plan, the band have crafted a solid, hook-laden debut that recalls the flighty pop experimentation of Deftones and Incubus.

Singer J. Lynn Johnston isn’t the most magnetic frontman in rock, but he’s a thoughtful, introspective lyricist who knows his way around a pretty melody. "Wonder if I’ve said too much/And we’ll never speak again," he croons on the disc’s stellar first single, "Walk Away," as the band shimmer behind him. Guitarists James Barlow and Anthony Boscarini spice up their meat-and-potatoes rhythm attack with all kinds of OK Computer space-rock stunts. "Historypeats" is more elegant than its ham-fisted title implies, and the epic ballad "Undefined" is an effective piece of melodrama. Resonance could use a little more oomph, but Mad at Gravity are off to a good start.

(Mad at Gravity open for Jerry Cantrell this Tuesday, November 5, at Avalon. Call 617-262-2424.)