No Regerts

On their debut full-length, No Regerts (intentionally misspelling "No Regrets" as one would on a horrifically botched tattoo), Seattle area quartet Chastity Belt volley between stations of amped-up punk rage and gorgeously intricate guitar rock. With a sound that takes cues from various unlikely reference points, their particular approach is an intriguing one. Singer/guitarist Julia Shapiro's voice often floats dreamily atop the music like a more muscular version of Beach House's Victoria Legrand. Even on songs that would be rendered brutal screamfests by most bands, like the Buzzcocks-paced "Healthy Punk" and the explosive rant "James Dean," Shapiro never loses her cool but just taps into her inner Courtney Love a little more than usual. Though clearly charged with the spirit of the riot grrrl movement, Chastity Belt lean musically more toward obscured splinter groups than the better-known raw punk flagships of that scene. With complex interlocking guitar lines, slower tempos, and a consistently tumultuous musical atmosphere, No Regerts recalls the work of early-'90s bands like Casual Dots, Slant 6, and Mary Timony's work in both Autoclave and Helium. The first two tracks, "Black Sail" and "Seattle Party," both come on with a drifting storminess, sprawling out with the same searching, unsettled quality that touched some of Sleater-Kinney's most introspective songs. As thoughtful and majestic as Chastity Belt can be, they often bury humor, sarcasm, and ridiculousness in their songs, sometimes closer to the surface than others. Tracks like "Pussy, Weed, Beer" and "Giant (Vagina)" are pretty straightforwardly goofy in their lyrical content, and the poignant musical backdrop of "Nip Slip" manages to keep a straight face through vocal harmonies of "I can see your nip" and overdubs of chips being crunched on loudly. These weird meetings of somber sound and unabashed silliness happen in waves throughout the album and add to its uncalculated air. The juxtaposition of seriousness with casual vulgarity and contentiousness is never jarring, just kind of calmly confusing. Misty, beautiful, and decidedly of the same Pacific Northwestern moods that served as a breeding ground for some of their greatest '90s influences, Chastity Belt's debut never takes itself too seriously or too lightly, but keeps its own unique pace and finds balance on its own unpredictable terms.