ALBUM: Be Your Own Pet - Get Awkward

Kicking off straight from where they left off, Get Awkward follows the same garage-punk formula as this four-piece's eponymous debut, but why would you want to have it any other way?

The songs are all between one and three minutes long and are largely noticeable by the path of destruction they leave behind them. Although the songs are more violent in the way that a toddler is violent, than in the way some have interpreted them*. BYOP aren't breaking any barriers down, musically at least, but no one ever expected them too.

While Jemima Pearl Abegg's vocals are angrier and snarlier than ever before, as exemplified by album opener "Super Soaked" and UK single "The Kelly Affair", she appears to be the only things between the band and mediocrity, as BYOP side-project Turbo Fruits easily proves.

Their influences are obvious, and the songs occasionally derivative; "Twisted Nerve" is straight from the classic '77 punk playbook of The Damned, whereas "Heart Throb" is Minor Threat attempting to play a pop song. But Jemima really is the difference. Her vocals, a mix of Riot Grrl, Karen O's sultry sexiness and Paramore's Hayley Williams. But better than all of these. Especially Hayley Williams.

In the Robocop themed "Bitches Leave", possibly my favourite song title ever, Abegg attacks "the hottest chick on the scene" in an poorly-veiled attack on certain Hollywood socialites and their unfortunate imitators. Although clearly the funniest line is "I know you're lying that you take it in the rear". For this alone, this is possibly my standout track, and could not be more obviously aimed if it was called "Song For Paris".

"You're A Waste" exposes the softer side of Be Your Pet's repertoire, and sits comfortably alongside the Garage-punk of most of the album, sitting between "Bummer Time" and "Food Fight", both sub-two minutes and the most like those songs found on Be Your Own Pet.

This is followed by another George A. Romero themed song (after "Ouch" on their debut) "Zombie Graveyard Party", another lighthearted look at Zombies, this time from their point of view.

The album closes with "The Beast Within", featuring the band chanting "Free the beast" over an increasingly chaotic cacophony of snare drums, guitar noise and shouting, until finallybeing overpowered and succumbing to awkward silence.

Overall, Be Your Own Pet have only get better for their sophmore album, and despite this album being heavily edited by lawyers*, which should never be allowed to happen, what's left is music more fun and more chaotic than wrestling in ice-cream with Jemima. What is surprising is why more don't feel the same way, preferring the vacuous pop-metal of Paramore's Riot!, immediately compared to BYOP as contemporaries because of the similarities in their line up and styles. Be Your Own Pet are infinitely better.

7.5/10

*The US-version of this album, which this review covers, has three tracks removed compared to the UK version. "Black Hole", "Becky" and "Blow Yr Mind" were apparently removed at the last minute by the distributing label, Universal, for being "too violent". Although, admittedly, what they left in is noit exactly a walk in the park, it's not as if BYOP are preaching "death to the west" or promoting beating up a policeman. The band have said they will release the removed songs on an EP in the summer.

Get Awkard is out now on XL in the UK and USA. Try and get the UK version with the extra tracks.