These slap-happy lovers of post-punk scrappiness have found a most
unlikely kinship in producer (ex-Pixies) Black Francis, who tightens up
the band’s sound while simultaneously retaining its slackerish mantra.
With songs about The Replacements (the band, not the movie), DC Comics,
not learning to drive and having a song stuck in your head, there is an
honesty, humour and Modern Lovers-esque frankness that extends deeper
than the sing-speak delivery and just-figured-out sloppy guitar chunks.
This article appears in Sep 17-23, 2009.