Cruiserweight

Not since Cheap Trick has any quartet made such exacting power pop as Austin, Texas’s Cruiserweight on their debut bulldozer ride through the LP format. On Sweet Weaponry, Cruiserweight ram through 13 molten slabs of party-ready punk the same way Nielson & co. used to; the band is never at a loss for a guitar or vocal hook and make sure they’re placed squarely in the foreground for listeners to lap up. Singer Stella Maxwell has all the presence and lyrical ability of the pop punk greats too — combining the spurned lover sentiment of Gwen Stefani at her best, Donna A.’s delivery and melodies with Joan Jett’s sense of danger. Backed by her band of brothers (literally — Urni and Yogi are siblings) and Dave Hawkins, Cruiserweight ache and swell all at once; the music being both raucous and nostalgic. Cruiserweight wants you to want them — and you’d be a fool not to.