II

New Zealand’s Flying Nun Records has been known primarily for poppy bands with guitars that jangle. The Courtneys’ songs are every bit as warm and melodic as any on the label’s roster, and yet the Vancouver trio’s punk-infused 1960s pop also includes Ramones-style power and tunefulness. Wide washes of ambient guitars sling warm waves of distortion that buoy honeyed vocals drenched in reverb. Drummer Jen Twynn Payne’s vocal melodies defy expected directions, strengthening the songs, and raising them far and above traditional pop punk tropes. Guitarist Courtney Loove (a sly nod to Miss World and one “o” from legal action) smears the songs with all-encompassing swathes of fuzz and atmosphere. Bassist Sydney Koke supports it all with an insistent rhythmic pulse to threading through the rhythmic foundation. The Courtneys’ II improves on the band’s idiosyncratic reputation and proves that sophomore slumps are for suckers. One of 2017’s best albums so far.