The Van T’s - Laguna Babe

The four cuts off The Van T’s debut EP, Laguna Babe, are all pretty much cut from the same cloth of trebly, riff-driven melodies underpinning the awesome sing-a-long vocals of Scottish-born sisters Hannah and Chloe Van Thompson (the 'Van twins'). It’s a glorious, stoned orgasm of kitsch, surf, angst, and cool. In short, The Van T’s are what the love children of The 5. 6. 7. 8's and L7 would sound like. As they proclaim on their Twitter page, “We are everything you ever wanted from a 90s dream.”

Single 'Growler' is my favorite of the four, highlighting the strengths of the band, but the title track is a rave-up of stinging guitars with a slowed-down chorus that fools you for a second before lurching back into gear. “Feel Touch Feel” is a straight-up blistering number with the most punk muscle of the lot, while “Another Sun” slows things down, at least in comparison to the rest, but keeps the fuzz guitars in tact and adds an awesome “Whoa!” shout along in the chorus.

This band is tight and smart, combining a great hybrid sound with snarky yet personal lyrics to create one of the best EPs of the year. I’m desperate to see what’s next from this quartet because after just four songs, I’m all in.