Oklahoma band Skating Polly, who formed when they were kids, have been making music for around a decade now. They’ve often described their sound as “ugly pop”, but I think bubblegum grunge may often be a more suitable term. Wonderfully, the band – step-siblings Peyton McKenna Bighorse, Kelli Mayo and their brother Kurtis Mayo – swap vocals and instruments often, which keeps things fresh.
This new album, produced by Brad Wood (the man behind the 90s Liz Phair classic Exile in Guyville) sees them take on a combination of styles, from the power-pop propulsion of Double Decker and Hickey King, which tackles power dynamics in relationships, to more punky, hard-edged material like Man Out
There which features a snarling guest vocal contribution from The Jesus Lizard’s David Yow. Tiger At The Drugstore draws from a wider musical palette, with its pretty piano and horns, but possibly the most affecting song on the album is the half-whispered Girls Night, a song exploring a tentative same-sex love affair. It’s disarmingly open and lovely. Indeed, some of the songs’ lyrics feel more personal, pointing towards a less guarded approach than before.
It’s not perfect by any means – I’m Sorry For Always Apologizing veers into a saccharine, almost Avril Lavigne, territory which feels too commercial by comparison to the stronger material – but there’s more than enough fine songwriting on offer here, and when they really let rip, they’re absolutely fierce.