Introducing the Husbands

The Husbands share a little love for '60s pop/rock while chalking out a macho rock sound that would make Joan Jett proud on their debut album, Introducing the Sounds Of.... It's safe to say the this first impression is far from pleasant, for Sadie Shaw and Sarah Reed give a little guff with their wild, hungry guitar work. They don't have time nor do they care to be nice. Rock & roll isn't supposed to be particularly kind, and the Husbands are quick on the uptake for this 14-song surf-rock-streaked set. Nikki Sloate is a bruiser on the skins, delivering shrewd two-tone beats on standouts like "Orphan Boy" and "I Got Plans." "Swept Aside" is one of the album's finer swaggering moments; however, what's most impressive about Introducing the Sounds Of... is the lack of pretense. The Husbands are raw rock & roll in the literal sense, and the album survives on that intensity alone. Chicks can cause a little trouble without getting caught, and the Husbands want to make that explicitly clear — playfully so. Their rendition of the Barbarians' "Take or Leave It" boasts such confidence. Behind all of that snarl and growl is a soft side, and the ladies' renditions of the Goffin/King classic "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" and Bo Diddley's "Cadillac" are unabashed in having a little fun. They honestly don't need an introduction.