Girl Tears celebrated the release their 2014 album, Tension, by playing shows, lots of shows, anywhere someone would have them. Backyards, basements, BBQs, art spaces, and no-fi dives all hosted the trio's take-no-prisoners punk attack. Tension lived up to its title by delivering 12 short and violent bursts of anger and angst wrapped in spiky melodies played by three guys who were racing each other to the finish line, which usually arrived in a minute or less. All the shows they played only served to make the band tighter ...
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Girl Tears celebrated the release their 2014 album, Tension, by playing shows, lots of shows, anywhere someone would have them. Backyards, basements, BBQs, art spaces, and no-fi dives all hosted the trio's take-no-prisoners punk attack. Tension lived up to its title by delivering 12 short and violent bursts of anger and angst wrapped in spiky melodies played by three guys who were racing each other to the finish line, which usually arrived in a minute or less. All the shows they played only served to make the band tighter and tougher, and their second album ups the ante on anger, angst, passion, guts, and all the stuff that makes punk rock the glorious thing it can sometimes be. Woke Against the Tide has a very similar Gun-Club-at-78-rpm sound, but it's bigger and much more powerful now, with Tristan Ellis' bass punching through with some raw power that was absent last time, drummer Sal Gabriel playing like he's got four arms and two of them are on fire, and Kam Andresen's guitar sounding like it's plugged right into a giant electrical cable, spitting sparks and slicing the air like a machete. His vocals sound more assured and controlled as he spits, croons darkly, and growls through gripping songs with titles that really sum up the mood: "Nerves," "Panic Attack," "Rotting," and "Cold Thoughts." Despite the bleakness those images might conjure up, the album is fun in an aggressive and liberating way. The songs pulse with breathtaking energy and drama and never wear out their welcome, and if the hooks aren't exactly singalong-friendly, they are sharp and dig deep into the soft parts of the brain. It makes for a big jump from one album to the next, the type that should make lovers of doomy, jumpy punk rock stand up and take notice. It's not polished, it's not polite, but it's about as real as it gets in 2016. ~ Tim Sendra, Rovi
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