Vivian Girls: s/t

Label: In the Red

The buzz was swirling about Brooklyn’s Vivian Girls months before their record hit our shelves, from the talk about their amazing live shows to the array of 7-inches that sell out here in a nanosecond and go on eBay for for triple the amount days later. Here’s their full-length debut, long out of print but rereleased courtesy of garage-punk label In the Red, and it did not disappoint. This all-girl trio is indebted to many styles and sounds: girl groups, shoegaze, garage, DIY punk, new wave – it’s all there, mixed together in a delectable stew of raw, fiery, unabashed rock. The album whizzes by at breakneck speed with no room for filler, like one of those great Ramones records from the mid-70s that clocked in 25 minutes (if that). Backlash be damned – this is music hard to dislike. It’s fun, amiable, full of hooks, good cheer and tremendous style. I can’t wait to hear what they do next. (James)