According to the French Kicks’ press material, the band is “[p]art trashy New York rock, part arty D.C. inspired post-punk, part mod-era Brit-pop.” Sweet, right? I mean I love Television, El Guapo, and the Kinks. How could this go wrong? But, lest we all forget: PR band descriptions can almost never be trusted. So, are the French Kicks setting themselves “apart from countless cookie cutter alterna-rockers,” as Big Hassle Media might suggest? Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the band takes the stylistically safest part of each of the aforementioned genres and blends them thuggishly. The resulting sound is something nearly identical to that of countless other alternative rock bands. Once again, the axiom is proved: Never trust a rep. The French Kicks play with Mink Lungs and Lennex at 10 p.m. at the Metro Cafe, 1522 14th St. NW. $8. (202) 588-9118. (Jacob Long)