There’s no denying the members of Io mean what they say.

“If Carly Simon’s telling me she’s… There’s no denying the members of Io mean what they say.

“If Carly Simon’s telling me she’s pissed in a sugar-coated pop song, how can I believe that?” Mike Cosentino says, dismissing the contrived angst of pop, and justifying the outward roughness of hardcore punk rock.

Cosentino is a guitarist in the Pittsburgh band Io, along with bassist Brian Watson, guitarist Derek Sorg and drummer JD Foster, each former or current Pitt students.

Io originated from a band called Grammar Rodeo three years ago, at the same time that the Mr. Roboto Project, a local do-it-yourself show space, was just beginning to host bands. Pitt student Chris Sullivan placed an ad for people interested in playing emo, which was not yet popularized. Foster and Sorg answered on the same day, and Cosentino later joined the band. Grammar Rodeo practiced in Foster’s dorm room – 510 Tower A – and played its first show in the 12th floor lounge until a resident assistant booted the band out after a few songs.

After Grammar Rodeo’s row with authority, Sullivan left the band and Foster, Sorg and Cosentino joined with Carnegie Mellon University student Rob Spagiare to form Ear to Ear. After Spagiare devoted his attention to another local band, Tabula Rasa, Watson joined the other three members of Ear to Ear to become Io.

The band members cite a wide array of influences, from noise rock, punk and ’70s stoner rock to classical music and early ’70s prog rock, but as Cosentino says, “We all listen to jazz.”

Io’s sound is explosive; much like the Volcano-dotted moon of Jupiter they’re named for. During performances and on their studio album, the band wastes no time, crashing through songs without subtlety. Io plays with frenzied energy and aggression that is both sincere and vulnerable.

“[Hardcore is] so much more urgent than anything else,” Cosentino said. “It’s almost scary, yet still positive.”

The band’s lyrics, which the band members approach together as a dialogue, generally tackle personal politics, while hinting at the bigger picture. For example, the song “Dichotomy” uses a spoken word recording that eventually builds up to a chorus containing the words “You’re not the same/ A past remembered differently/ Self: You’re separate from me/ Words to reconcile are impossible to find.” According to Cosentino, the lyrics refer to the two separate personas people have, public and private.

“We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to put out something that’s never been done before,” Watson said. Cosentino added that when they write material, there is a lot of debate between the band members. But the debate usually ends with a consensus.

The Willow Snag, Io’s locally released album, genuinely reflects the urgency of the band’s lyrics and style. It was recorded in one weekend with the band playing each track live and without excessive overdubs. The band also recently completed a brief tour of cities from Boston to Baltimore.

“We came up with [the album title] when we were listening to a recording of the children’s book ‘Scary Stories III,'” Watson explained. In the story The Willow Snag, villagers tell a man that a monster will kill him if he goes into the forest at night. The man goes into the woods during the day without incident, so he decides to spend a night there anyway, and is consequently killed.

“[The man’s] the one person to stand up to superstitions, and it turns out that the mass is right, which sends a conflicted message to kids,” Watson said. The story is an example of the album’s clashing perspectives: though the members of Io immediately appears enraged, performing at an ear-splitting volume and screaming their lyrics, their music is stirring, and provokes strong emotion in the listener.

“I want people to feel close to the way I’m feeling when I’m playing,” Watson said.

Io will perform Sept. 6 at the Mr. Roboto Project, 722 Wood St., Wilkinsburg, Pa., with Yage, Tabula Rasa, Intense Youth and Books Lie at 7 p.m.