Although this is Suzi Moon’s debut solo recording, the punk rock songstress cut her teeth playing in her sister’s band Civet when she was just 15 years old. Civet enjoyed a lengthy career (by punk standards anyway), before going on hiatus about a decade ago.
After a couple of short lived projects, i.e. Turbulent Hearts and L.A. Machina, the now seasoned veteran returns with a quick listen of her hard hitting, articulate, and roaring rock ‘n’ roll that brings to mind The Runaways if they grew up on a steady diet of Motorhead.
“Special Place In Hell” starts the listen with a bit of atmosphere before bursting into buzzing, charged rocker where Moon’s biting vocals still retain melody as the thick guitars are met with thumping drums and gang vocals. Certainly closer on the spectrum to the early days of punk, there’s still plenty of modern spirit packed into the formula.
“I’m Not A Man” occupies the middle spot and wastes no time with its defiant attitude and anthemic quality that takes nods to days of Riot Grrl and contains an energy that runs parallel to Bikini Kill.
“Nuthin’ To Me” exits the listen on a very high note, where the melodic and gritty guitars complement Moon’s raw, powerful singing that just begs to be sung along to while the precise drumming anchors the searing finish.
Moon, who handles bass, guitar and vocals, is joined by Drew Champion on lead guitar and Rikki Styxx behind the drum kit. Together, they make a masterpiece here that certainly takes influence from legends like Joan Jett, Stooges, MC5, or Dead Boys.
At just over 10 minutes, this is just enough music from Moon to whet the appetite but not sate any punk fans desire for top notch, intense, but thoughtful song craft. An LP will be very welcomed and hopefully on the horizon soon.
