The Sahara Hotnights are ready for a fight. The proof is their new album, titled “Jennie Bomb,” — a raucous battle cry.
“Now I feel like breaking laws/ Gonna start a civil war/ Here’s my fist, where’s the fight?” shouts the band on the first track, “Alright Alright (Here’s my Fist Where’s the Fight?).”
Released in the United States by the swanky Jetset Records, “Jennie Bomb” is a one, two, pop-punk punch packed with more guitar than an episode of MTV’s TRL. The album has the young band receiving critical praise. Their previous release, “C’mon Let’s Pretend,” earned them two Grammy nominations in their homeland of Sweden.
Taking their cues from the likes of The Runaways, and maybe even the Hellacopters, Sahara Hotnights are the bad girls with guitars your parents warned you about. With lyrics like “You’re getting on my nerves, getting nothing done/ Hey, I wanna see some action,” and “Nice try, what a waste but we told you before/ Hands off! Great mistake, we won’t take it no more,” they make it clear that it’s their club, and only the toughest are invited.
However, “Jennie Bomb” isn’t perfect. At times the album becomes too formulaic and you wish the band would either slow it down or speed it up enough for you to tell the difference between the songs.
One track that does an exemplary job of breaking the mold is “Only the Fakes Survive,” which has me asking, if only the fakes survive, where’s Fred Durst?
Overall, thanks to good bass lines and a naughty attitude, the album comes off as punk rock wrapped in a tight leather jacket looking for action on a Friday night.