Skating Polly “The Make It All Show”

Whilst a new band to us, this is actually the band’s third album. Originally a duo consisting of multi instrumentalists Kelli Mayo and Peyton Bighorse (what a name!). They have now expanded the group with the addition of Kelli’s brother Kurtis. The fact that Louise Post and Nina Gordon of Veruca Salt have worked with them will tell you a lot about both their sound and their quality.

The moment you press play on your music listening device of choice you will instantly have a smile on your face. It’s totally impossible not to be captured by the joyful exuberance of opening number “Classless Act”. Together with songs like “Long Ride” and “This Vacation” they are just great snotty indie/punk songs. Full of energy and attitude.

It would be wrong just to class the band as a straight forward pop/punk act, there’s a lot more to them than that. There’s a far more reflective edge to songs like “Little Girl Blue And The Battle Envy” and a real sense of threat and aggression to “They’re Cheap” and “Camelot”.

That’s balanced with the recognising of a pop hook on songs like “Free Will At Ease” and “Hollywood Factory”. With those songs you can really sense the influence of nineties indie rock like The Breeders, Juliana Hatfield and, of course, Veruca Salt. You could certainly see “Queen For A Day” catapulting the band to wider exposure and acclaim.

This is a record for people who fondly recall the days when there were indie/alternative bands that could combine attitude and lyrics with a sense of meaning but without being precocious. The tracks on this album manage to have a feeling of empowerment but also retain a sense of fun. It may hark back to better days of indie/alternative rock but it’s also a reminder that we probably need this kind of music now more than ever.