Dinosaur Jr.’s distinct sound—J Mascis’ mumble-singing layered over walls of fuzzed-out guitar distortion—is often imitated but rarely replicated. But if there’s one band that damn near pulls it off, it’s LVL UP. The Brooklyn quartet certainly sound like it was cooked up in a ’90s slacker-rock lab—a dash of Pavement here, a hint of Superchunk there, a few tablespoons of Sebadoh for good measure; combine and stir—but these songs transcend the band’s obvious and unabashed influences. That’s because there are three chefs working on LVL UP’s burners: guitarists Dave Benton and Mike Caridi, and bassist Nick Corbo each contribute their own distinct songwriting. Benton and Corbo’s nonchalant mumbling may make it sound like there’s not a lot of emotion in compositions, but there’s some real earnest, if not completely melancholy, poetry in the lyrics, no matter who’s singing them. “I think I need a soda and an order of fries to get by,” Benton mumbles self-defeatedly on “Hoodwink’d.” Yeah, me too. LVL UP performs with Bad Moves and Princess Reason at 10 p.m. at Comet Ping Pong, 5037 Connecticut Ave. NW. $12. (202) 364-0404. cometpingpong.com.