Cherri Bomb – Stark

Cherri Bomb’s debut EP, Stark, sets up the Los Angeles bad-girl hard-rockers as an attitude-heavy quartet with enough bite to turn at least a few heads.  For a first effort, Stark has few holes and plenty of energy.  Obviously there has been some heavy production and image consulting here considering the Hollywood Records tie, but it doesn’t hurt the core sound.  Think a female fronted Foo Fighters with heavier guitar work.

Opening with “Mirror Mirror,” the band makes a strong case for their stage presence.  Front woman Julia Pierce commands a mean set of pipes, although still a few years shy of the mature range of obvious influences of Biff Naked or The Distillers.  Oh yeah, it’s worth mentioning that this EP was released when the band’s average age rested somewhere around thirteen or fourteen.  And while the whole affair has obviously received the royal label treatment (kids don’t sound this polished from plugging away at their guitars in a garage), you’ve got to hand it to the girls for favouring rock over the glitzy world of bubblegum Disney mall-pop (curious, considering Hollywood Records’ Disney affiliation).  Songs like “Already Dead” and “Let It Go” feature high-energy choruses and solid vocal and guitar bridges that climb high from lower altitudes.

Cherri Bomb likely won’t wow anyone who’s been around the block, but on the contrary they won’t offend any rock purists either.  Stark is a solid stepping-stone for a group with great growth potential.  With the basics in the right place, the girls now need to work on finding a purpose beyond the novelty of just wanting to rock.  Future material should work on making their mark and developing their uniqueness as artists, with an emphasis on harboring lyrical intent.  Of all of those tween- appeal bands out there, this one has the potential to grow to adulthood.