Be Your Own Pets - Get Awkward (Album)

1:42pm Friday 30th May 2008

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WHEN they exploded onto the rock scene with their self-titled album two years ago, Be Your Own Pet were the definition of youthful exuberance.

Their songs were short, sharp, caustic and fast and seemed to tap into the vein of old fashioned rock and roll that so many bands seemed to have forgotten.

But now in their 20s with album number two, Get Awkward, the question is can the Tennessee foursome continue in the same way?

The lyrics are still very adolescent and vacant but that's what made the first CD such a joy and the appeal has not worn off.

For instance, school yard politics feature on the song Becky while songs like Super Soaked promote shirking responsibility in the name of fun with lyrics like: "I just want to run around, I just want to party down" - the perfect antidote after a day's work.

But a darker, devil-may-care attitude also pertrudes with songs about daydreaming of violence through boredom, which caused three tracks on the US edition to be removed by record bosses, perhaps missing the point.

Musically the noisy twist and turns remain with the fuzz of electric guitars, thump of bass, busy drums and the frenetic machine-gun vocals of singer Jemina Pearl.

If you're new to the band but like fast and raucous music then this is for you.