C.Y.S.L.A.B.F.

These five young female musicians deliver the kind of visceral, breathtaking wallop that more macho “punk” bands only wish they could inflict. The debut from L.A.’s Mika Miko is a real kick in the head to punkers young and old alike: how did they get the souls of X-Ray Spex, the Slits, and Essential Logic into their youthful selves? Although these women weren’t around when those bands set the tone for an entire genre of punk and post-punk, C.Y.S.L.A.B.F. will convince you it’s 1979 again. It’s a fantastic, hi-energy expression of controlled chaos, with shifting tempos, ricocheting guitar shrapnel, and a surprisingly tight rhythm section pushing Jennifer Clavin and Jenna Thornhill’s stabby vocals into various contortions. Layers of thick, grimy guitars and bruising drums aren’t the only efficient sounds at work: the buzzing synth on “See You There” is like an insect, unsettling and nerve-wracking, and the duelling saxophones on tracks like “The Dress” are dizzying. “Business Cats” twists and stomps to a frenetic faux-ska beat, and “Jogging Song” is a punk workout soundtrack. Remember to breathe!