Under Review

Juvenile Hall

Magazine Collage

Indepedent

Review by Mark PaulHus

Juvenile Hall’s first full length is far from a collection of bubble gum pop punk. Magazine Collage is a legitimate piece of west coast punk rock. Compiling a few favorites from their previous two EPs with a fistful of new songs, these brash ladies have pasted together a ferociously fun 13-track album that owes as much to Black Flag as it does Cub. Tin can snares and crashing cymbals steadily drive buzzing guitars as all three girls pitch in on vocals, creating harmonies that sound like Exene Cervenka jamming with Bikini Kill.

At the end of “Waste of Time,” the girls proclaim “there are no rules,” a punk rock mantra that is very evident throughout the entire record. Wide-eyed songs like “Sugar Rush” and “Pizza Party” imply a certain innocence, while “No Cops” and “Eat Shit and Die” go beyond implicating this cunning trio, they put them at the scene of the crime with backpacks full of spray paint and kerosene. There is no arty pretense here and no feigning irony. Magazine Collage is a straightforward collection of timeless, scrappy, fun-loving punk rock songs that are sure to get any party going.