Cheap Time

So the guys in Cheap Time have the chiseled good looks of young television stars and yes, the fellow to the left on the cover is wearing a leather choker around his neck, but this doesn't mean that the Nashville power trio plays similarly attractive indie pop. Cheap Time unleash the kind of dirty, feral, lo-fi garage rock that is heavily inspired by semi-obscure 1970s punk 'n' roll bands like The Bizarros, Jabbers-era G.G. Allin, The Weirdos, and Hubble Bubble. And their budget-rock ethos (14 songs in under 30 minutes) should make fans of Jay Reatard or The King Khan & BBQ Show feel right at home. "Too Late" opens their self-titled debut with singer Jeffrey Novak singing through his nose like a Ritalin deprived kid suffering from hay fever as his guitar feeds back and squeals out a scribbled solo. Unfortunately there aren't any recordings here from when Be Your Own Pet's Jemina Pearl used to be a fourth member, but songs like "People Talk" and "Back To School" more than make up for it with fevered temper-tantrum rhythms, snotty sneering vocals, and catchy glam-pop hooks that recall equal parts early Alice Cooper Band and The Runaways.