A tight song from start to finish, Something Fierce's "Empty Screens" takes only a few seconds to blast off, and doesn't lessen its intensity until the last fading note. The result is a perfect combination of punk chants and garage-rock energy, with no need for keyboards to prop up the guitar, bass, crashing cymbals and bombarded snares.
Something Fierce gets a lot of love in its hometown of Houston, where it's known for its spirited club performances, but the group's recordings don't disappoint, either. The guitar solos vary up each time — they're gnarly but not sloppy, and aren't burdened with needless flourishes — while the lead vocals are captivating, the chorus blends perfectly into the refrain, and everything else fits in its right place. The first line of "Empty Screens" may be "We lost control," but this is a band that knows exactly what it's doing, and has a whole lot of fun in the process.
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