Hell Bent

Taking their name from Bratmobile's 1993 album, Potty Mouth follow through on riot grrrl's ideals, not so much in their sound as in their actions: they're an all-female band whose members write their own songs and book their own tours. Yet Bratmobile were one of the movement's most playful and poignant acts, and that spirit lives on in Hell Bent's songs, which channel all kinds of dissatisfaction into breezy, buzzy catharsis. Potty Mouth borrow from plenty of other '90s women in rock -- the album's crisp, punchy sound and the sassy vibe of songs like "Wishlist" recall the Breeders -- but Abby Weems' sullen vocals help the band bridge the gap between nostalgia and present-day urgency. She's a remarkably compelling vocalist considering that she barely wavers from a monotone alto; however, she packs the few notes she uses with a complex blend of disgust, defiance, and vulnerability that evokes how much mileage Liz Phair and Carol van Dijk got out of their spoken-sung vocals back in the day. Weems brings plenty of attitude to songs like "Rusted Shut," "Bullseye," and "The Better End," where she snarls at a former lover, "Go ahead/Kiss your friend/How's it taste/The bitter end?" over alternately jangly and barbed guitars. It's on "The Spins," however, where the rest of the band delivers a song that matches their singer's charisma. A churned-up mix of bittersweet giddiness, when Weems sings "You think you'll be OK 'till you're lying on the floor," she could be referring to drinking or heartache with equal impact. While a few more songs on this level would have taken Hell Bent from good to great, the vibrancy Potty Mouth bring to angsty reflections like "Sleep Talk" and kiss-offs like "Shithead" (one of the few times the band actually sounds riot grrrl-ish) makes it the kind of album listeners can take to heart. ~ Heather Phares