Photo: Marie Lin
This, the official debut album by the Philly rock quintet, is enough to give Whispering Bob Harris a virtual boner. Among the big riffs, ranging from the MC5 and The Runaways, through to the sweeter tang of Big Star, is a gnawing sense of dissatisfaction, an undercurrent of simmering political dissonance.
The melodies may be feelgood and breezy, but there’s an edge. This is most notable in the rabble rousing of Meet Me In the Street, Expect The Bayonet, which crunches with the sound of drums and guitars evocative of riots, and the subject matter of (Say Goodbye To) Sophie Scholl the anti-Nazi activist, or LGBTQ rights within Suffer Me (inspired by the Stonewall riots of 1969).
The band’s awareness of tight hooks for tough times is what sets them apart from their less issue-based peers, and Pure Desire and Milk and Honey have a sweetness too, with Tina Halladay’s vocals more raw, girlish and exposed, pushed front and centre. A tour accompanies the album’s release.
(Lorna Irvine)
Released on July 14th via Static Shock
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