Finland isn’t particularly known for a lot, in fact the only export off the top of my head they are renowned for is Mikael Forssel and paper. But Bitch Alert is trying to buck that trend by putting Finnish Punk on the map with this fourteen-track release. Having been together a mighty seven years and been signed for the last four this is somewhat surprisingly only their second release over here, having had a slew of albums and EP’s released in their native homeland. What the band lack in releases over here though, they make up for in pure noise as the vocals of leading lady Heinie growl over music that is as fuzzy and grinding as it comes.
With two ladies and a bloke making the band up, the music aspires to something approaching punk, rock and grunge at the same time without really deciding which direction it should take. It’s a rollercoaster start though as it catapults you into the riotous ‘Sunsets you Know’ and the stormy ‘Heroine’, as both tracks showcase a hurricane of that classic calm, noise formula and the band execute it on both very well. Certain tracks though have a distinct feel of early 90’s grunge and it is non more apparent on the Nirvana-esque ‘‘Sandy” and ‘God Doesn’t Like Me’ which was taken from their domestically released debut album, and once again both are strong without really setting the scene alight.
Other tracks that capture the imagination are all performed fairly early on though which adds up to a disappointing second half. Highlight of the album personally is the rifftastic ‘Monday’ while the anthemic ‘Loveson’ is also a joy to behold, but as mentioned, it lacks a certain spark in the second half with tracks such as ‘I Love You’, ‘Gas’ and ‘Geisha Nymfo’ dragging the album down and most feel like mundane filler.
Ultimately, this isn’t a bad record, the first six or so tracks are top notch but the final half is pretty fucking poor and drags the whole thing down a notch. For a band that has been going seven years, you may expect a little more of a mature head on their sound but come the end of the fourteen tracks, it just feels to long and drawn out to have any lasting memory.
Jay
www.bitchalert.org
www.poko.fi