Los Angeles-based duo She Wants Revenge (SWR) has opened for such beloved indie acts as The Raveonettes, The Kills and Bloc Party, but their self-titled debut proves that they are ready to be the headliners.
While their current sound is more reminiscent of bands like Interpol, Joy Divison and The Cure, singer Justin Warfield and partner Adam Bravin (a.k.a. DJ Adam 12) claim musical roots in hip-hop. In fact, Warfield released a hip-hop album in 1993 called "My Field Trip to Planet 9."
This album is a far cry from the hip-hop genre, but it possesses the undeniable power to make people get up and dance; "She Wants Revenge" is not an album to sit through. Listeners can indulge in the agony of break-ups, the frustration of ambiguous relationships and the devastation of lost love all over an array of infectious '80s dance beats. The opening track, "Red Flags and Long Nights," sets the mood for the sounds to come with its steady dance beat and simple yet hypnotizing electric guitar riffs.
But SWR show that they want to do more than deliver an '80s-inspired dance club mix. Halfway through the album an instrumental interlude aptly named "Disconnect" shifts the mood from dance party to quiet contemplation through soft keyboard melodies played to a backdrop of the sound of rainfall. The slower, electric guitar-driven track "Us" also deviates from the dominating techno beat-driven style of the album.
"She Wants Revenge" finds its voice in the emotion embedded in its poignant and often heated lyrics about sex, lust and relationships gone awry. Warfield possesses a steady and deep vocal tone that carries a slight hint of urgency through the songs. His unaffected vocal style also helps temper the intense sexual undercurrent that runs through the album and complements the emotional lyrics of the tracks.
SWR's first single, "Tear You Apart," plays out rather like a story, with its verses narrating the buildup to a heated moment between lovers. "Someone Must Get Hurt" also stands out among the songs with its depressing lyrics about the inevitability of heartbreak: Warfield sings, "They say the heart is resilient, in black and white you swore there'd be no strings / I sneak out the back door, and I can hear you cry, and the sound of my footsteps / This time there will be no long goodbye."
SWR maintains this stark and morose attitude toward love. "Broken Promises For Broken Hearts" presents a bitter, pessimistic turn on relationships featuring lines such as: "Torn up photos and lonely nights / Cursing crying and drawn out fights / Make-up sex and a brand new start / Broken promises for broken hearts."
The album's final track, "She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not," stands out from the rest of the disc in both rhythm and style. The synthesizer in the background evokes a unique atmosphere for the song, and the drumbeats are more complex than in other tracks. The differences, though subtle, add up to successfully create a distinct sound.
SWR provides a fresh alternative to the music of overly produced emo bands and attention-hungry teen divas in today's pop music scene. What this album sometimes lacks in variety of sound it more than makes up for in depth, honesty and emotional intensity of lyrics.
She Wants Revenge, along with Electric Six and Rock Kills Kid, will perform at the Middle East in Cambridge on February 14th.
