A new release from t@b grrrl brings out a righteous and vivacious plan of gritty but insanely colorful and catchy riot rock with punk undertones, and descriptive lyrics that come with this certain kind of honesty that gets you attached to the whole character that's being delivered throughout this EP.
The self-titled release boasts such a robust persona and attitude that blends old-school approaches from the songwriting to her vocal style, down to even the tonality in the way things were recorded.
The guitar and sometimes even base tones come through with such a fuzzy warmth that it beckons punk rock of the 1980s at times and her vocal performance that sits atop everything just drives this home because the whole aesthetic is right up in your face and it's nearly impossible to look away from.
What really gets me about this whole thing is not just the fact that I grew up listening to bands like Bikini Kill or L7 for example, but the fact that this record has a super incredible energy to it like the songs were just recorded live and then released because it feels like all the players are feeding off of each other the entire time and this gives the songs the feeling of being completely alive.
This is something you don't get often, and I could be completely wrong about the whole live recording thing, but even if I am, this record makes you want to go see this band live in your face because if the energy on the record is captured this well then seeing them live must be outstanding.
It is hard not to love this record especially if you're a fan of classic punk rock, classic riot rock, or anything that's got grit, balls, and attitude, and comes at you without boundaries but also has this genuine undertone to it as well like the songs are all coming from someplace real.
And that makes you realize that this kind of music is out there and it's alive and well.
It's refreshing and it feels good even just to have the knowledge of this, and I knew it was around, but for some reason, I just would have thought it didn't have the same level of punch that I used to.
t@b grrrl took no time to prove me wrong and I'm incredibly appreciative of it because this EP is killer from beginning to end and the energy never lets up.
This is for fans of the real deal stuff. People that listen to Misfits, Black Flag, as I mentioned earlier, Bikini Kill.
All the bands that influenced the punk scene in the 80s and the 90s that left their mark have influence in this band and every part of this band feeds into that a little bit differently and lets it out with a completely freeing tonality.
This was a fuzz tone rock soiree that hits like a sucker punch to the gut and as soon as it ends you want to restart it.
You can clearly tell this whole band has a real love for their craft and I don't mean the instruments that they're playing or just singing, I mean writing songs together and putting stuff out there that kicks you in the face.
When's the last time you heard a song that made you think, "Oh man, I need to go see these guys perform right away"...?
Check this record out as soon as you can and turn it up because this is one of those records that keeps sounding better the louder you keep turning it.
You'll soon see what I mean and when you do, remember where you heard it first.
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