Sheer Mag are a five-piece from Philly, and they sound like a broke Thin Lizzy that put its finger in an electrical socket. They write scarily catchy songs, they're incredible musicians, and they ROCK. Frontwoman Tina Halliday sings from a place of righteous fury and swagger, and the closest vocal comparison I can make is to “I Want You Back” era Michael Jackson. So far they've released three 7” EPs. They've bypassed the usual PR and social media channels to create a remarkable DIY groundswell of support. (Mark M., Darlene, and I saw them play the packed front room of a tattoo shop; a few people had driven five hours to see the band play. The windows fogged up with sweat, and members of the audience were hugging each other in the mosh pit and singing along through the whole set.) Every song is relentlessly great. Start anywhere, really, but personal faves are 2, 4, 5, 12. FCC WARNING: 2, 8.

1. (3:35)—Mid-tempo, raw, wiry, fist-pumping.
2. *(2:10)—Medium-fast. Start-stop, loping, grinding.
3. (2:41)—FCC (f***). Medium-fast. More jerky rhythms and a fantastic chorus. “Ay-yi-yi-yi-yi!!!”
4. *(3:52)—Mid-tempo. Serious punk-soul chorus and hip-shaking rhythms. Long gang vocal finish.
5. *(3:44)—Slow, funky. This is like a punk-rock version of “I Want You Back,” with lyrics about gentrification and standing up to your horrible landlord. “When our neighbors burned, the realtors shook hands with their backs turned.”
6. (3:20)—Medium-fast, driving. Start-stop verses, kinda pretty lead guitar.
7. (4:08)—Mid-tempo. Heavy rave-up intro. Tina Halliday kicks her intensity down a notch.
8. (3:02)—Borderline FCC (“I'm a bad b****”) Mid-tempo, sunny strut. “I won't bow my head to another man.”
9. (3:39)—Mid-tempo, straight-ahead rock. “I can see the blood. It's on your hands.”
10. (3:21)—Mid-tempo, bouncy, brokenhearted.
11. (3:34)—Medium-fast, riff-heavy. “We live and die by a politics of simplification.”
12. *(3:05)—Mid-tempo, a ruthless hip-shaker. “You don't treat me the way I deserve.”