High Energy Politics

The debut full-length by a cartoonish high-energy punk quartet from Yokohama, Japan, High Energy Politics is certainly aptly named, particularly the adjectival phrase. This brief 13-track album is breathless in its tempos, raw-throated in its screamy vocals and metal-leaning in its trebly, slashing guitar riffs. As for the politics, song titles like "F**k War, Unity" sum up the generally positive lyrical stance. There are a few clever changeups that keep the album from sounding entirely static; "Caffienaholic" and "Do It Ourselves" add a jumpy ska edge to the buzzsaw punk, and "Common Existence" flirts with grindcore. Overall, however, High Energy Politics is a slam-bang blast of street punk that leaves the listener breathless, but not bludgeoned. At their best, like the stirring "Out of Respect for You," Coquettish manage to make something genuinely thrilling out of what should be now be a completely played-out form.