The Pack AD – We Kill Computers

In 2008, The Pack A.D. released their first two albums in quick succession. The gap between these and We Kill Computers has been much longer, giving the two band members the opportunity to take their noisy blues-rock on the road. Now, times, or rather sounds have changed. The girls have taken a trip down the memory lane of 70s punk and recent garage rock, amalgamating their new influences with the bolshy blues roots.The first few tracks on the album lure you in. The opener, 'Deer', is razor-sharp -Â Â distorted, snarling guitar, dusky masculine vocals and splintering cymbals a-go-go set up an atmosphere of confidence, loudness and passion. It leads into 'Everyone Looks Like Everyone', where stop-start punk power chords stutter with more loose cymbals. The album then heads into full garage-rock mode, with 'Crazy' sounding just like it could be a White Stripes hit; Betty Black takes Jack White’s role by fuelling the song with bassy, stomping chords and Maya Miller sits, like Meg White, playing the same cymbal-happy limited drum routine.Some of the later tracks, like 'Big Anvil' and 'K Stomp', are lined with gritty AC/DC-era influenced licks, marrying effortlessly with Black’s casual, fuzzy vocals. “Cobra Matte” is a full-on ferocious punk attack. There is just enough variety in the album to keep the momentum going. Any more punk and garage, or any less of a dusting of blues, then We Kill Computers could seem too far a departure for the Pack A.D. to convincingly take. With the girls’ ballsy courage, they’ve wrestled the challenge of taking a new direction to the ground and defeated it to craft a mighty, loud rock-a-thon.