Bursting at the seams with youthful
punk
and
power pop
energy, this all-young-lady quartet delivers tight
pop
songs time and again. Whether it's
the Go Go's
or
the Bangles
, who the band is influenced by is rather irrelevant since tunes such as
"It's Over"
"Wake Up"
stack up very well in their own right. There is also a touch of
blink-182
Sum 41
in various forms. Lead singer
Jenny MacIssac
's voice is soft and melodic enough to contrast well to the heavy guitar riffs doled out by
Dawn Mandarino
. Even when the group offers a soppy
tune, such as
"Thousand Stars,"
which is a bit lightweight, there are enough hooks to grab the listener's attention. On a song such as
"Whipped,"
the song harks back to an early-'80s
new wave
feeling as synthesizers are used throughout. The whole
rock
star idea is reversed in
"Rockstar Boyfriends,"
while
"10 Miles to Go"
is another attempt, but is perhaps the weakest track here.
"Heartbreaker"
and the title track are two of the many high points, but the blistering guitar solos in each eclipse its competition easily. Aside from a needless
remix, this album is infectious, upbeat, and definitely well-done
. ~ Jason MacNeil