WHO ARE THEY? A feisty female foursome from Phoenix whose sound splits the difference between punk, pop-rock and metal — and has earned them comparison to everyone from The Runaways and The Donnas to The Go-Go’s.
WHAT IS THIS? The School of Rock alums’ sophomore album, first release for Hopeless Records and the followup to 2017’s Manic Pixie Dream Girl.
WHAT DOES IT SOUND LIKE? Heavier than anticipated. While choppy, melodic pop-punk is clearly their comfort zone, the occasional blowtoch scream, speed-demon and craggy riff keep anyone from mistaking these young women for pushovers.
WHAT WOULD BE A BETTER TITLE FOR THIS ALBUM? Second Skin.
HOW SHOULD I LISTEN TO IT? With your sister on the way to the all-ages show.
WHAT 10 WORDS DESCRIBE IT? Feisty, wiry, adrenalized, ambitious, edgy, hooky, accessible, noisy, hard-hitting, strong.
WHAT ARE THE BEST SONGS? I’m partial to the louder, faster, punchier fare like the charging death-metal of Don’t Cross My Path, the boogie-slam of Outta My Mind, the spiky indie-rocker Nasty Man and the arena-sized When They Show Their Teeth. As always, your mileage may vary.
WHAT WILL MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY SAY? ‘They’ve got a lot of potential.’
HOW OFTEN WILL I LISTEN TO THIS? Now and then — while it’s definitely decent, there’s still plenty of room for improvement.
IF THIS ALBUM WERE A MALL STORE, WHAT STORE WOULD IT BE? Hot Topic.
SHOULD I BUY, STREAM OR STEAL? Steam it for yourself, but buy it for sis.
