It’s hard to pin down Short Fictions within one genre or another without confusing some listeners. Any of the Pittsburgh-based quintet’s songs may start with a pretty filigree of indie rock guitars and clean vocals, but at any moment could suddenly burst into a racket of blastbeats and pained shrieks. And yet, even in their noisier moments, there’s a plucky brightness to the band’s music that keeps even their extreme side connected to a base of heartfelt garage-dwelling alternative. That sweetness shining through the chaos is represented in their album covers, and the latest, this year’s Fates Worse Than Death, practically glows with peeling pinks and organic browns. “I would say that our music gets brighter and more focused with each release,” says vocalist-guitarist Sam Treber. “ Ou...