Civet – Hell Hath No Fury

Despite only ever hearing one or two songs by Civet previously, I was still excited to hear their new album, Hell Hath No Fury. It had been a while since I had heard a strong, all girl street punk band, and the fact that it had the Hell-Cat logo splattered across the back of the case enticed me even more. After having listened to it close to a dozen times so far, I’m glad to say that Civet didn’t disappoint.

Hell Hath No Fury can’t help but be compared to acts like Joan Jett, The Distillers or Hole with The Distillers comparison being the most accurate; but Civet is still able to offer something more than just that. From the surface, Civet are your classic HellCat band with the main difference being the female vocals. They’re crunchy, distorted and fast; filled with sing-along vocal sections all played a good, energetic speed. They’re a kick-ass punk band and don’t hold back but after a few listens you see that Hell Hath No Fury is a better record than the run of the mill street punk record as the LA quartet manage to pack the songs with enough catchy choruses and memorable hooks that you’ll be humming the tune long after the CDs done.

Many of the songs have, I’m scared to say it, a slight pop sensibility to them in the most punk-pop way possible. This makes the songs just a lot more memorable than they would otherwise be and helps get you singing the fist-pumping anthems along with the band in moments. Hell hath No Fury is still a fiery beast filled with angst and angered love songs but the songs aren’t all muscle as there is some needed diversity.Son of a Bitch opens with a classic rock guitar riff backed by a thunderous bass drum and is topped off by an angry, pissed off chorus that sees them yelling “You’re a lazy sun of a bitch!“. All I Want is a song that would fit perfectly into Rancid‘s Indestructible album, which makes sense considering Tim Armstrong co-wrote it. Every aspect of the song personifies what Civet does best, with great hooks, a unique drum beat and a phenomenal bass line a little over a minute into the song. Lyrically, the song sees them singing a song of friendship and hope with each line delivered in an unforgettable growl. Other tracks likeBrooklyn and Take Me Away energize me with their rhythm while the entire album is perfectly suited for any fan of street punk.

At the end of the day Civet hasn’t released an album that will make waves or become the “go-to” album of street punk. All they’ve done is taken a well developed style and added their own little spark to it. Like so many bands of this genre, Civet are a band that would be great live but unlike many of their street punk brethren, Civet have delivered an album that can be repeated countless times and still be energizing and fun and that is what makes Hell Hath No Fury such a good record.