The mandibles of wasps are used to capture and disassemble prey. Like their namesake, Guelph’s indie subset are a flaying mass of incisive force, seemingly inspired by the likes of fellow Hillside performers The Acorn, Hayden and Born Ruffians to inject a country twang into their otherwise muted palette. Oddball instrumentation saves them from getting lost. The eerie bend of a singing saw opens “Museum,” while a stark accordion solo on “In the Skies” keeps an Afrobeat guitar line from being too contrived. Trading off on vocals, AJ Johnson and Jordan Howard upstage each other’s earnestness on “Bears and Bees” as a violin solo drifts off wistfully. While their self-titled debut has bite, I’m not convinced Mandibles will be able to tear the Guelph scene a new one.