Earth Girls – Wanderlust

Chicago garage power pop punk trio Earth Girls, which features former members of Libyans, Daylight Robbery and Boilerman, have released their debut album, Wanderlust. The album is twelve shots of frantic poppy punk that owes a hefty debt to the less introspective elements of the mid eighties indie scene, especially the more upbeat numbers by the likes of Lush and Echobelly, along with an influence from the more melodic end of punk with a fuzzy garage undercurrent. There is also an distinct pop sensibility to their songwriting, it is this that carries their infectious melodies and channels their effervescent adrenalized songs into perfect bite size chunks.

Wanderlust is a light, bouncy, energetic and if I’m honest, rather wonderful album, if you’re in the mood for some high spirited punk tinged energy then this could well be the album you’ve been waiting for, it’s a collection of effortless bubblegum power pop punk songs that can’t help but make you smile and bounce round the room. Almost every track clocks in at under two minutes and the whole twelve tracks are done and dusted in just over the twenty minute mark, so yes it is on the short side for an album, but I’ll always take quality over quantity.

Wanderlust contains an almost constant level of irrepressible energy, the eighties indie influences sound like they’ve been spiked with amphetamines, but this isn’t just a barrage of frantic guitars, every second of every song is packed with melodic hooks that gives this album a very appealing and highly infectious energy. If you wanted to be picky you could argue that this is a somewhat one dimensional album, the same approach to the delivery of the songs is taken on the majority of tracks and the pace only very rarely relents, but that never did the Ramones any harm. This is not an album that will change your life, but it is one that will make it more enjoyable.

You can stream and pre order Wanderlust here