Teenage X - Drink! Dance! Destroy!

Drink! Dance! Destroy! is an apt title for the debut full length from Toronto's Teenage X. These scene vets have been playing for a while now and have done time in bands like The Downbelows, Tijuana Bibles and The Threat among others. The band is made up of Rich on guitar, Sarah on vocals, Phil on bass and Mikey Hawdon of the Fairmounts fame, on drums.

The songs are: The Signal Fast Machine Boom Drink! Dance! Destroy! Losin' It Say What You Want On the Outside Chelsea Horror Hotel Wasted The record is a self-assured nine songs in a louder, faster, shorter 21 minutes and although there are traces of what they've done before present here, this is a group that's clearly come into its own. The punk rock sensibilities here are filtered through an early 80s New Wave/Power Pop filter that add some catchy bounce. The feel of this record had me thinking that some of these songs would fit well on the soundtrack of a circa 1982 teen coming of age comedy, especially on the song Losin' It. It's easy to make comparisons to Blondie, Pat Benetar and Kim Wylde and you wouldn't be far off. The thing that makes this record unique though is that is doesn't come across as sounding retro. Sarah can really add some punk snotty-ness to her voice but she can actually sing as well. The songwriting is solid and because these guys can really play, most of what you hear will stick in your head without repeated listening. But if this is the kind of thing you like, then chances are you won't want to stop listening. Drink! Dance! Destroy! is bound to be your soundtrack for this summer. Review by EQUALIZINGXDISTORT 9 songs, includes lyrics, ships flat