The debut single by Oakland CA's Pets may not necessarily change your life overnight, but one quick listen to their smart hooks, contagious songs, and a look at their dumb glances, and you'll know why you're hearing about them everywhere now. Featuring a pedigreed lineup of Zack from the FM Knives, Vince from Short Eyes, and Dan Wood (a close relative of the Spits' Erin & Sean Wood for those keeping track...) from Right On and Flathead (on Rob Vasquez' Dope Records in the early 90s), these guys know exactly how to turn your stomach and create some really epizootic waves of deliriously dirty pop snarl. Not content to retread the paths of any of their previous bands, The Pets are all on the same page and their simple and voraciously catchy songs will knock you into submission over and over again on each side of this record. Are those honeycombs on the sleeve from the same BART subway station background as the legendary Crime photos take by James Stark in the 70s? Hmm, they are from Oakland...could be. I've gotta say, great idea with having dual lead vocals too. Hopefully more bands will learn that two people doing lead vocals (or at least alternating choruses) has a truly remarkable effect, and adds a new level of depth and power to any song. Sam & Dave knew this, the Angry Samoans knew this, the Time Flys know this, and it's about time you knew too. This is also the first release on Sweet Rot records out of Vancouver, who will hopefully be providing us with lots more great underground music in the future. Keep an eye out for upcoming singles by the Pets on other notable labels such as Raw Deluxe and Broken Rekkids later this year.
Check out some of those tracks HERE, and take a look at a live video clip for "Heart Attack" from a show at the Hemlock in San Francisco this year.
