Bat
Fangs’
debut will give you a classic rock ‘n’ roll ass-kickin’. Guaranteed. If that
sounds appealing, then you’ll find it easy to love this short, sharp little
record; if not, then, to be honest, there’s very little else to find here. This
is high-quality DC riot grrrl punk, following in the grand tradition of the
likes of Bikini Kill and (early) Sleater-Kinney. Although there are
flashes of other things too: the Misfits
come to mind, both musically and because of a shared use of classic horror
iconography. This perhaps isn’t a record to change anyone’s world, but it has
consistently strong song-writing, and it benefits from not overdoing things. All
very ‘less is more’ (9 songs in 25 minutes – no fat on those bones). When I
started putting the list together this year I was a little surprised this made
it on, let alone made it into the top 15. But it’s a huge amount of fun, and so
I’ve played it lots. Simple as that.
sample track: Turn it Up