From beginning to end, City Mouse's debut album is an absolute delight. Arriving at a time when even "underground" music usually sounds slavishly tailored for commercial appeal, this release is proof that punk music can still be exciting, sincere, and a hell of a lot of fun. In fact, City Mouse sounds almost out of place in the '00s. They remind me of the kind of band I would have seen at a basement punk show ten years ago - back when the terms "melodic punk" and "shit" weren't yet interchangeable. More rock n' roll than Tilt, poppier than The Beautys, yet somehow reminiscent of both, City Mouse rivals the best of the Clinton Era's female-fronted punk groups. When I listen to the band's music, I can't help envisioning the young 'uns at their shows, and how they probably dance until they drop and then go home smiling. The songs are so fast and infectious and full of life - how could the kids not wanna dance?!But don't go thinking that City Mouse is some kind of cutesy, happy-go-lucky, cotton candy pop group. No, no, no! The band's music is ballsy and gutsy and most definitely rockin'. It's just that the group plays with such energy and enthusiasm that one can't help feeling invigorated by every last chord. I'm not saying that this is the greatest punk band I've ever heard - but that's exactly the point. City Mouse reminds me of so many good, solid bands from back in the day - groups you'd never heard of, but then they came to your town and won you over the minute they took the stage. It's nice to hear yet another group take the old punk formula and make it sound vital again. And out in front of the band's exuberant buzzsaw attack is dynamite singer Miski Dee, who's got great pipes and even greater heart. With a voice that brings to mind the likes of Melissa Etheridge, Bonnie Tyler, and a young Cher, and a fiery delivery in the vein of a teenage Joan Jett, Ms. Dee belts it with force and feeling. Whether she's purging heartbreak demons or pondering what she really wants from life, it's clear that she really means what she's singing. And you just don't hear that kind of conviction from punk singers very often.All in all, this is an immensely impressive debut album. Even on the lesser tracks, the band's energy sustains the fun. And on standout numbers like "The Journal" and "Instamatic Suicide", City Mouse sounds like one of the top up-and-coming groups in the punk game today.---Lord Rutledge (Now Wave Zine)
June 16, 2006
Available now at Interpunk.com! 7 song EP! Click image to order it from the nice punk rockers at Interpunk! Cheap!
...and coming soon to a record store near you!
Out Soon! Featuring City Mouse!
Check out the ad in the current issue of Varla Magazine!
God Save the Queers! Queers tribute album out now on Asian Man Records. City Mouse does "I Only Drink Bud"!!!
