Naomi Punk – The Feeling

Naomi Punk – The Feeling (Couple Skate/Captured Tracks)

This debut LP flew under many a radar when it came out this spring, but is now getting re-released by Captured Tracks. Since their sound features heavy doses of distortion and elements of metal and punk, plus they hail from the vicinity of Seattle, it’s not shocking that some have labelled them grunge revivalists. I’ve done my damnedest to block out all memory of the ’90s, but I’m pretty sure others would agree that these guys don’t sound much like anyone else out there – past or present. Most of their songs stomp along, pummelling your ears into submission with their blunt force, but they momentarily relent with these eerie and ineffably sad interludes, and that incredibly cathartic contrast is what takes this album from a mere beatdown to a knockout for me.

by Carly Blair