choke cherry : "Messy Star'

This band carries a raw grunge edge to their otherwise trippy take on "dream pop' that leans into the pop hooks. The opening song rocks out more and the dense guitar riffs pack more of a punch. One-half of the songriting dup fronted a hard-core band so the value of laying the smack down as needed is preserved on her. They might not go into screaming breakdowns, but they know what being heavy is worth. The title track works off some subtle hooks that are highly effective. The loud-to-soft formula is very 90s but cements their songs as being authentic to that era which they pay homage to. 

The jangled strum of "I Know You" sets the stage for the thoughtful verses. The chorus is not as big and radio-ready as the previous songs but still works well for what they are doing here,as here vocal is the guidepost. The guitar phrasing on this one is very clever. Dynamically there are no surprises with this one but it is a well-thought-out idea that works as a song. They kick in a get rowdier, but when you accept grunge is part of who they are it is a logical progression. 

"Mirror Mirror" rocks out in a harder fashion, with the vocals taking on a more aggressive shouted cadence. Some of the more nuanced vocal colors work really well for me here. It bounces more than it stomps, but they are not trying to be a metal band, so that does not factor in as much. The palm-muted crunch in the climax of the song is pretty effective. I will give this one a 9.5, and see how it grows on me. It drops on October 25th on Fearless Records.