If the female lead in a Nickelodeon teen sitcom grew to her early to mid-twenties, moved to a hip section of New York, and starting writing songs about dating and living in the Big City, she might sound something like , the lead singer and guitarist with . That's not an insult. has a knack for sounding bright, bouncy, and upbeat while she's justifiably pissed off at the men in her life, and she's confident and capable even as she's pondering self-doubt and thinking out loud about why stuff goes wrong in her life. Carly Shea and/or Tori Vega probably wouldn't have a band as good as , though. 's second full-length effort, 2020's , is an engaging bit of indie pop just on the border of pop-punk that's abundantly catchy and fun to listen to despite the emotional ups and downs of and her characters. , 's drummer and 's songwriting partner, puts enough gravity behind the performances that they genuinely rock, so even the gritty "Broken Body" and "Flash Flood" have a pogo-friendly energy, while the introspection of "Worth the Wait" is relatable without sinking into its own angst, and "Night Terrors (Reprise)" does a remarkable job of finding the middle ground between passion and doubt. is a performer with a knack for making her emotions recognizable without overselling her delivery, and with (and bassist ) joining her, she convinces us that she's the 2020 version of the girl next door whose essential niceness doesn't mean she's dumb, unquestioning, or willing to be anyone's fool. is superior ear candy that won't hurt your intellectual teeth, and a more than worthy follow-up to 2017's fine . ~ Mark Deming