Seems French label Bad Reputation not only has a foot firmly in Australia, but also one on the West coast of the USA, as this is another Los Angeles based band. Or duo actually, consisting of Richard Romero on guitar and Margo Swann on vocals and keyboards. Producer Bob Hoag apparently functions as drummer as well, so that makes three I guess.
After listening to this I must confess that I think they lack a fourth musician. Because despite the good ideas and obvious talent, I miss a bass. That low end would really add some foundation to these tunes in my humble opinion. But besides that, I think this debut is quite enjoyable. Margo has a pleasant voice and seems to be at home in this rock outfit with a bit of a punk attitude to it. The organ sound that is sometimes used gives this a slight Doors feel, although the female vocals obviously give this a whole other vibration.
At the end of the day I think this is promising, yet needs to mature a bit more. But if you like female vocals and a lot of raw energy, you could do a lot worse than this. And aren’t duos the latest craze?
