F*ck, I’m a Ghost guitarist-vocalist Quinn Thompson adds tendrils of guitar that wrap around the rhythm of his band’s song “Short Straw” like vines. Inside a dimly lit Pacific Grove home, his vocals barely break the surface of the rising waves of music as he sings: “I can’t breathe.”

Just a few minutes before this moment, the members of F*ck, I’m a Ghost were joking around. Now, each player is lost in his own world as the song fills the room. Thompson steps on a guitar pedal – and all the noise abruptly disappears like a retreating wave, replaced by ripples of drum and the hiss of an amp.

The apparition of F*ck, I’m a Ghost has been just as sudden. Though they are preparing for just their fourth show together, the group already shows promise, probably because they are not a collection of new players. Drummer Hector Rodriguez played in the Oakland outfit District 17 and recently was a member of the local band The Silhouette Era. Meanwhile, Thompson has two other projects going right now: the post-rock We All Inherit the Moon and the shambling indie-rock act An Anchor of Silver.

“I’m just more excited about what I’m doing now,” he says. “F*ck, I’m a Ghost has a lot more structure, and it’s more a rock band.”

The impressive dynamic on “Short Straw” appears again during “Winner’s Cup,” the next song they practice for Friday’s appearance at Woody’s in Pacific Grove’s American Tin Cannery. Once again, Thompson changes the sound from placid to thunderous with a step on his guitar pedal. Other memorable numbers include “Drop of a Hat,” which has an unfurling guitar solo that recalls Modest Mouse’s “Dramamine,” and “Train Robber,” a song that transforms into a propulsive jam at the end.

According to the group, their shows thus far – two at Jose’s and another at Woody’s – went off without a hitch. “All three of the shows, I couldn’t have expected them to be any better,” Thompson says.

Having recorded their self-titled debut at San Francisco’s Studio SQ, the trio is sending the work to be mastered by indie rock icon Kramer, a former member of Gumball and Bongwater who has produced acts including GWAR, Galaxie 500, Daniel Johnston and Urge Overkill. The CD and vinyl versions of the nine-song album are expected to be out this spring.

“We already started on our second record,” Thompson says.

“We’re moving and shaking,” Rodriguez confirms and then laughs.

The band’s name has ended up being both a blessing and a curse for the six-month-old group, causing F*ck, I’m a Ghost to be taken off of Internet sites and making people hesitant to put up fliers promoting shows, but also helping make it hard to forget the name.

Later Thompson reveals where the exclamation became their name.

“It was written,” he says, “on a dirty window.”

F*CK, I’M A GHOST and THE TREES play 9:30pm Friday, Feb. 26, at Woody’s Bayview Grill, 125 Ocean View Blvd., Pacific Grove. No cover. 649-6800.