One of the most natural and creative-sounding 2010s acts finding inspiration in punk and alt-rock icons like
Sleater-Kinney
,
Patti Smith
, and
PJ Harvey
Mourn
have the ability to surprise, unlike so many of their contemporaries. Their self-titled debut is a loving homage to those formidable artists (there are also shades of
Throwing Muses
' wildness on "Misery Factory" and a hint of "Smells Like Teen Spirit"'s crashing riffs and drums on "Dark Issues"), but
is far from rote imitation. While
Jazz Rodriguez Bueno
and
Carla Perez Vas
sing and play with the intensity of their influences, their songs reflect that they (as well as drummer
Antonio Postius
and bassist
Leia Rodriguez
) were still in their teens when they recorded them. There's a purity and directness to their music that many older artists would kill for, especially on more melodic tracks like "Otitis" and "Squirrel." Intentionally or not,
capture just how mercurial adolescence can be, switching from mischievous to deadly serious -- and back again -- in the blink of an eye. One moment, they're sweetly, playfully creepy, as on the brilliant opening track "Your Brain Is Made of Candy"; the next, they sound like they're performing an exorcism on "Silver Gold." The band also spends a healthy amount of time challenging authority and boys (by name and in general) with refreshing bluntness: on "Jack,"
Bueno
Vas
sing "You think you're awesome/I think you're boring," and that's really all that needs to be said. Recorded in just two days, the excitement coursing through
's entire 24 minutes (including the bonus track "Boys Are Cunts") makes its funny, scary, pissed-off punk that much more irresistible. ~ Heather Phares