The reasons are obvious. Not only are lead vocalist Jessica Delich and bass player Camille Hendren known for their onstage antics, but the music iitself is aggressive and unforgettable.

The first thing you notice is Delich's voice - winsome and playful on a catchy punk song like "Rotary" and brutal and approaching omnipotence on the set closer "Shake Fatal." Consistently, Delich manages to sound bigger-than-life, and, yet, very real - like that friend with a heart of gold who can puff up like a blowfish when she's crossed. Her power is nowhere more evident than in her earnest, banshee-like screams that threaten to blow out the architecture carved by Hendren's mighty bass and Dennis Dunbar's massive, inventive drums. But they don't. Delich's most primal attacks fall with the precision of well-honed chops.

That ability to deliver primal aggression with a pop undercurrent perfectly complements Fletcher's sensibility. Fletcher grows animated talking about the East Coast punk bands of the mid-to-late '70s and the new wave bands of the early '80s that he loves. "Some people say we sound like X because of our harmonies, but I think more of Red Kross or even The Knack."

Delich trusts Fletcher's intuitions: "I just have always loved every song he's written. I've always thought they sounded perfect for my voice. And he has these ideas all the time. Whereas I'll work on a song two weeks, he keeps coming up with things, and that's fine with me…we all get along really great!"

That camaraderie is evident - in the music's sense of focus and its appeal. And according to Fletcher, this feels just like the beginning: "The songs are growing much more relaxed, not so planned sounding. It's definitely snowballing, and the songs are getting better." Sounds like the perfect time to check them out. - text by Danny Alexander, first appearing in the PitchWeekly.