Tiger Beat

This Olympia, Wash., triois comprised of Sarah Utter (guitar/vocals), Kyle Ermatinger (drums) and Maggie Vail (sister of Bikini Kill’s Toby Vail, on bass and vocals). Straight from the get-go, this band flies its pop-punk influences (the Ramones and the Runaways) high and proud. Fast and furious one moment, sweet and sassy the next, the Bangs (not to be confused with the original Bangles moniker) make fun, spirited punk pop music that for some reason almost sounds like it was recorded in the ‘80s. The mood of the record is total glam pop infused with staunch lady rock spirit—like the catchy “Train Wreck” ("hot stuff … just the kind of boy I’ve been dreaming of/ hey you standing backstage/ and playing it cool … come on over here and get me some love"). They also cover Cheap Trick’s “Southern Girls"—hard-edged bubble pop mixed with distilled Kentucky spirits and ‘80s pogo verve. Plus the band has real cool bangs themselves, of course. In the words of the Gollipops, these girls are “hot! ‘Nuff said, let’s rock.”