No Obligation

Young California punks the Linda Lindas level up on their thrilling sophomore set No Obligation. Following two years after their joyous debut, their second album highlights the artistic growth and sonic control that they developed between LPs, even as they balanced school and home life under increased scrutiny as one of the buzziest groups to emerge in the early 2020s. Released as their stadium tour with Green Day, Smashing Pumpkins, and Rancid wrapped up, No Obligation builds upon the songcraft of their first LP, cramming various genres -- punk, garage rock, power pop, new wave, and Rock en Espanol -- into a blender in a way that makes perfect sense given the four members different personalities. The quartet -- Bela Salazar, Eloise Wong, and Lucia and Mila de la Garza -- excels at it all, whether its a feral Eloise growling her way through the raucous title track, Lucia elevating the indie rock singalong "All in My Head," Bela singing in Spanish on "Yo Me Estreso" (with Weird Al on the accordion, no less), or Mila joining for the urgent group chants and harmonies. The invigorated No Obligation is a breath of fresh air, a reminder that punk can be fun and pure without losing its impact or message. The Linda Lindas give us all hope that the kids will be alright. ~ Neil Z. Yeung