Scorched by regretful exes, sleazy, power-wielding bosses and soulless property developers, Vancouver quartet Necking push back with nine equally scorching mini-anthems on their debut album, Cut Your Teeth. Melissa Kuipers' pummelling drums and Sonya R.'s propulsive bass push Nada Hayek's white-hot riffs along like a bullet train. All the while, Hannah Karren yelps about lame sex, power imbalances and the shuttering of art spaces.
Necking make no apologies to their antagonists, or even to themselves. On "No Playtime," they acknowledge their own privilege and complicity in gentrification: "Who am I to talk? Went to private school. Hung out in dives 'cause we thought they're cool," Karren sings.
Necking never hide their moments of weakness. With humour, and most importantly, honesty, Necking bare their failed attempts to rebound from bad relationships. "I'm a dog calling home, crawling back, can't be alone," Karren admits on "Rover." On "Go-Getter," a minute-long blitz dedicated to futile self-care practices, she tells herself, "Don't fuck, good luck." Self-doubt has never been expressed so economically.
At only 22 minutes, Cut Your Teeth is a head-spinning rip made for repeated plays. Listeners are guaranteed to rage and laugh at the same time, every time.
(Mint Records)Necking make no apologies to their antagonists, or even to themselves. On "No Playtime," they acknowledge their own privilege and complicity in gentrification: "Who am I to talk? Went to private school. Hung out in dives 'cause we thought they're cool," Karren sings.
Necking never hide their moments of weakness. With humour, and most importantly, honesty, Necking bare their failed attempts to rebound from bad relationships. "I'm a dog calling home, crawling back, can't be alone," Karren admits on "Rover." On "Go-Getter," a minute-long blitz dedicated to futile self-care practices, she tells herself, "Don't fuck, good luck." Self-doubt has never been expressed so economically.
At only 22 minutes, Cut Your Teeth is a head-spinning rip made for repeated plays. Listeners are guaranteed to rage and laugh at the same time, every time.