Be Your Own Pet

Be Your Own Pet

(Ecstatic Peace/Universal)

Let's imagine the Yeah Yeah Yeahs never existed, because Be Your Own Pet's two-minute blasts of post-pubescence are true testament to the loud, fast rules of punk. Produced by Redd Kross' Steven McDonald, the Nashville quartet's debut LP has a hard-nosed combustibility, from appropriately titled opener "Thresher's Flail" to "Bunk Trunk Skunk," which guns guitarist Jonas Stein's Ramones-on-Sparks guitar and singer Jemina Pearl's hiccuped "I'm an independent motherfucker! And I'm here to take your money!" On "Bicycle Bicycle, You Are My Bicycle" the whole band yells "No gears, no breaks, we'll break your face!" You can practically see them trashing a teen center, like the kids in Over the Edge. Pearl relays a tale of drowning her boyfriend on "Bog," possibly while on Xanax, as bassist Nathan Vasquez and drummer Jamin Orrall keep a feverish pace. A mere 15 songs/33 minutes later, your brain has been thoroughly lathered, and given Pearl's declaration "My brain is on fire, so piss right in my ear!" they're in the right place at the right time. (Be Your Own Pet stomps Emo's Thursday, June 22 with Whirlwind Heat and Faceless Werewolves.)