A mere 10 albums in and Violent Femmes continue to be one of America’s most distinct alternative underground artists; sitting somewhere in that territory between Pixies, Royal Trux and Meat Puppets, their latest album, as many of them do, haphazardly traverses punk, country, folk and alt-rock, and is driven by the inimitable, and often wonky, vocal of the semi-legendary Gordon Gano.
On the album’s title track, the band have enlisted the skills of Television guitar maestro Tom Verlaine, who adds shimmering and snaking guitar parts to the country-tinged stomp. It’s an unpredictable and restless listen, rarely sitting still for a moment, but Gano’s handy knack for a hook and a melody is still present, as is his innate ability to explore off-kilter rhythms and unusual song structures on an album that stands up with the band’s finest.
7/10
Daniel Dylan Wray