Hell Bent

Now THIS is the pop-punk you’ve always dreamed of! Nerdy, sugary yet angsty, call it sweet&sour pop? The vocalist sounds like the biggest dork, with a very understated, even timid delivery that somehow works. (Pitchfork compares her to Liz Phair, but I’ll leave that up to Mr Esq to corroborate.) It’s an all-girl band, but you’d never know, as they reject the Riot Grrrl label: “GENDER DOES NOT EQUAL GENRE,” says their bassist.
RIYL Max Levine Ensemble, Jawbreaker, Tacocat, anything on Plan-It-X records

1. midpaced cheery tune full of adolescent punk rage
2. **more edgy hard-rock-punk riffage thrown in, think Girlschool or Heavy Cream
3. plaintive, lonely, for staring at your feet in the rain
4. catchy, happy major-key melodies sad themes… starting to see a pattern?
5. loud cymbals, somber harmonizing riffs, dark lyrics about date rape
6. frantic energy, minor-key fuzz a la Dino Jr
7. happy, pumped-up powerpop with particularly nerdy vocals
8.** fast jangly pop anthem, guitar doubles melody line
9. *obvious FCC “shithead”—a happy-go-lucky tune about that special someone who actually sucks
10. slow somber dirgey closer