The clattering post-punk of Oakland's Street Eaters is a racket. A good one, I should add. The trio's newest, Opaque, is brief but full of energy.
"Tempers" finds Megan March relating an intensely personal set of lyrics over raging punk that conjures up comparisons to Sonic Youth, and maybe Bikini Kill too. Her drums set the pace which bassist John No and guitarist Joan Toledo follow. The razor-sharp "Cuts" is another winner here, one where it sounds like each of the three are playing as if their lives depended on it.
There's more than noise to the Street Eaters, of course. And if you dive a little deeper, the lyrics of the song reveal more depth, and political furor than you might notice on first listen when the volume knocks you back. Still, Street Eaters play this sort of thing in the way few seem to do on these shores anymore, and this whole short album is the kind of kick in the ass this old punk fan needed to hear.
Opaque by Street Eaters is out now. Details below.
[Photo: Heather Frienkel]