WASHINGTON'S post- hardcore bands have a reputation for austerity, but that's certainly not true of Girls Against Boys. This D.C.-rooted quartet, now based in New York, does occasionally sound like Fugazi (notably on "AnotherDrone InMyHead"), but its sound is as sultry as it is jumpy. The group's "House of GVSB," its last minor- league album before joining the Geffen roster, underpins arty clamor with a strutting sexbeat.

GVSB's music is not as bottom-heavy as full-bore funk, but any band that features two bassists is clearly not inclined to neglect the lower frequencies. Three of the band's members played in Soul Side, an '80s D.C. hardcore band that cannily adapted dub strategies to an edgier style; GVSB is equally deft with rhythms and timbres, including some that give "industrial" clank a much-needed revitalization. If not as kinetic as its predecessor, "Cruise Yourself," this disc is so well outfitted with implacable grooves ("TheKindaMzkYouLike," "Wilmington") that such occasional explosions as "Super-fire" are just a bonus.

GIRLS AGAINST BOYS -- "House of GVSB" (Touch and Go). Appearing Friday and Saturday at the Black Cat with Jawbox, the Dusters (Friday only) and Candy Machine (Saturday only). To hear a free Sound Bite from this album, call Post-Haste at 202/334-9000 and press 8106. (Prince William residents, call 690-4110.)