Sometimes you’re sitting at home, flicking dirt off the edge of your Doc Martens, and you’re totally fed up with the boring world around you. Admit it. We’ve all been there. When you’ve got a small ounce of angst in your head but a heart that wants to get up and do something about it, the best music to turn to is anything by the female powerhouses that were dominating the ’90s: The Breeders, Sleater-Kinney, Veruca Salt, and so on. While the guys were busy being noisy for noise’s sake, they were finding the perfect middle ground between emotional backslaps and driving rhythms.
That’s where Potty Mouth come in. The Western Massachusetts trio are best at making catchy songs with grunge-dipped edges. Later in August, they’re releasing a self-titled EP that will revitalize the alt-rock we miss so very, very much. How do we know? Because lead single “Cherry Picking” is already stuck in our heads.
On “Cherry Picking”, the trio suit up for a cut that’s too good to be from the ’90s but just gritty enough to have us feel like we’re tying flannel around our waists again. A sauntering bass line groans back and forth, evoking the The Breeders,R while their melodic chorus recalls Veruca Salt’s peak. Word is Sleater-Kinney producer John Goodmanson helped them record which may explain the familiar clean production on this one. The songwriting? That’s totally up to them, and that’s what gives it such an original, fresh, and memorable hook. The fact that their lyrics suggest you break from the mold and make your own decisions makes it all the better. Come to think of it, this may be tied with Speedy Ortiz’s “Raising the Skate” for our favorite take-no-shit song of the year.
Give it a listen below:
