Fullerton, California-based garage rockers
Audacity
got their start in the classic bored suburban environments that gave birth to some of the best movements in independent music. Getting in from the ground up as one of the earliest bands affiliated with the ever-expanding
Burger Records
label,
's first recordings were more ramshackle garage affairs with elements of surfy reverb and anxious punk undercurrents. Third album
Butter Knife
takes their sound to new dimensions, leveling out some of the rough punk edges with extremely clever power pop melodies and sharper production that doesn't peel away too much of their signature grit. Standout tracks include "Hole in the Sky," a jumpy and restless pop tune that shifts between
Weezer-esque
catchiness and early-period
Superchunk
energy. Over the course of the album, the band skillfully manages to bounce between sneery punk blasts like "Tell Yourself" and deeply sophisticated
Zombies
-leaning wry pop like the beautiful album closer, "Autumn." ~ Fred Thomas