Dirtmitts

Vancouver's the Dirtmitts know how to write a catchy tune - songs like opener "In The Meantime" will have you singing along before it even ends for the first time. Despite the fact this is their first CD, they have an awful lot of confidence and they pull off the female-fronted rock band with ease. You can tell very quickly that they've listened to Veruca Salt before, but there's a lot more going on than might initially meet the ear; at times there's a touch of Sarge, the Breeders and even Lush. That adds some welcome variety to the album but they could stand to learn a touch of brevity, because there are quite a few songs on here that feel a little long, even at around four minutes, and those that scrape five minutes definitely overstay their welcome, but with 12 tracks to choose from, there's not much chance of getting too bored. As debuts go, this is an incredibly assured one and the Dirtmitts are a strong addition to the Sonic Unyon roster. Still, no matter how catchy the songs are, you can't help but think that it's all been done before (even if it hasn't been done for a while), so don't expect anything too original.