Lust-Cats of the Gutters

From the opening track, the comically harrowing "Cemetary," through the playful nostalgia of "Pac-Man," the Lust-Cats have carved a new chapter in outsider punk rock by updating riot grrrl for the current era. "Stand-up Gal," especially the chorus ("Can't wait to see her/Kinda want to be her/She's a real stand-up...

By Tom Murphy

April 22, 2010

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From the opening track, the comically harrowing "Cemetary," through the playful nostalgia of "Pac-Man," the Lust-Cats have carved a new chapter in outsider punk rock by updating riot grrrl for the current era. "Stand-up Gal," especially the chorus ("Can't wait to see her/Kinda want to be her/She's a real stand-up gal") is essentially a thematic rewrite of Bikini Kill's classic "Rebel Girl." All of these songs have a raw catchiness that's edgy without being menacing, like a pop album without the imperfections — and, thus, character and idiosyncrasies — removed to fit into a pre-conceived mold. With alternative rock icon Courtney Love giving her stamp of approval to the surfy "Revenge Bikini Body," in a tweet last year, this admittedly lo-fi album has already made its mark far outside of Denver.

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Tom Murphy is a writer, visual artist and musician from Aurora, Colorado. He was a prolific music writer for Westword and a documenter of the Denver music scene.

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