Following the Lawrence Arms’ War on Christmas show, a fair amount of buzz was circulating regarding a band who opened up the last night with the most badass front woman, called The Lippies. Hailing from Grand Rapids, Michigan, the self-proclaimed feminist pop-punkers have been building momentum after the release of a fantastic EP in 2014 and explosive live shows. The band’s ability to frame important issues regarding rampant sexism and wrap them in hook laden melodies makes for a refreshing and much needed take on what can feel like an over saturated genre. The first time you hear them, you’ll wonder how you’ve made it this far without the Lippies in your life. Their S/T debut full-length for Red Scare is a grade A continuation of everything the band has done while doubling as the perfect introduction the world didn’t even know it was waiting for.
The first thing to notice about this record was how hard it is to stop listening to it. Like an open bar at a wedding or an all you can eat pizza buffet, The Lippies will have you coming back for more. The sound Tonia Broucek, Lawrence Cole, Taylor Shoupe, and David Sparks produces is a fantastic blend that not only encases the Midwest pop-punk sound offered by bands like Masked Intruder or the Copyrights, but calls to mind east coast power houses like War on Women and California pop-punkers Bombpops, or the Muffs. The tone shifts from a viscerally angry, in your face ripper one moment to a ukulele ballad the next, and then right back again. Both ‘Basic’ and ‘It Boils’ work well to break up the pacing and showcase the explosive nature of the songs that follow. Given how many people use their ukuleles to un-ironically record YouTube videos of ‘I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing’, it’s energising seeing the instrument used for something worthwhile.
As far as debut albums go, The Lippies have set themselves up for nothing but success with theirs. Like any good pop-punk record should be, this one is catchy as hell. Good luck getting ‘302’, ‘Fuck the Customer’, or ‘Sleeping’ out of your head for days. Unlike a lot of good pop-punk albums, this one offers nothing less than a injection of life and a much needed confrontation of so many of the issues going unaddressed in the scene. The joy that comes from listening to Broucek threaten “This pretty little mouth is gonna spit right in your face” on ‘Garbage Man’ is palpable because it is exactly the attitude that people who feel a need to abuse public space should be met with. 2016 will be a very good year for The Lippies as they begin to get the attention they deserve. They have been not so quietly killing it for a while and now it is time to get them on your radar. Do not sleep on this one.
MAT STOKES