Here it is, the debut LP from Vancouver’s trashy powerpop trio Needles//Pins on the Mammoth Cave label. Two guys and one girl who will make you sweat, whether you’re jogging in blistering heat or dancing drunkenly in the safety of your room. At least if the 20 minutes it lasts for is enough for you to break out a sweat. The music is in much the same vein as early White Wires, and for some reason it seems Canada is the place to be right now if you wished every band sounded like The Barracudas playing Ramones. Every song on this album is so chock-full of hooks it would be a pun to call them catchy. “Drop It”, “Pulse” and “Hale Bop” are all songs I can’t get sick of even after 4 consecutive plays. 12:34 feels immediate, with the rush of a live recording and you can hardly notice the guitar over-dubs throughout. This is the best release I’ve heard from Mammoth Cave since the Ketamines LP, and you should pick up a copy here. If you like this, I’d also recommend Impo & Tents‘ two great 7″s released this year.
