WHO ARE THEY? One of indie-rock’s most influential and critically beloved outfits. A group that Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore once dubbed “the most important band in America,” and others have hailed as forefathers of grunge. A group that once shared a manager with Nirvana, but were blackballed from touring with them for prank-calling Courtney Love. Which is surely part of the reason why Los Angeles singer-guitarist siblings Jeff and Steve McDonald remain criminally unappreciated more than 40 years after they formed Redd Kross to open for Black Flag at their middle school.
WHAT IS THIS? Just their seventh full-length since their 1982 debut Born Innocent, and their first album since 2012’s Researching the Blues.
WHAT DOES IT SOUND LIKE? Indie-rock and power-pop, garage and glam, punk and psychedelia — along with pretty much every other cool musical genre of the ’60s and ’70s — swirled together into the soundtrack for your next party.
WHAT WOULD BE A BETTER TITLE FOR THIS ALBUM? Still Kross After All These Years. Or maybe Above and Beyond.
HOW SHOULD I LISTEN TO IT? While prank-Tweeting Courtney Love.
WHAT 10 WORDS DESCRIBE IT? Energetic, melodic, crunchy, fuzzy, catchy, witty, carefree, sugary, wry, timeless.
WHAT ARE THE BEST SONGS? You really can’t go wrong. Especially with the Cheap Tricky Fighting or the Weezery There’s No One Like You. Bonus points for their cover of Sparks’ When Do I Get to Sing ‘My Way’?
WHAT WILL MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY SAY? ‘They rock pretty hard for guys who are old enough to need colonoscopies.’
HOW OFTEN WILL I LISTEN TO THIS? Just like the McDonalds, it’s got staying power.
IF THIS ALBUM WERE A VEHICLE, WHAT KIND OF VEHICLE WOULD IT BE? A boogie van with an awesome mural on the sides.
SHOULD I BUY, STREAM OR STEAL IT? It’s payback time.
