The Coathangers

Scramble (Suicide Squeeze)

Since the bubbly hiss of their eponymous 2007 debut, Atlanta punk foursome the Coathangers have found confidence in dissonance. On sophomore LP Scramble, they do just that, guitarist Julia Kugel’s yelp, bassist Meredith Franco’s screech, and drummer Stephanie Luke’s growl meshing like a drunken 2am bar conversation from song to song. The group screams of “Arthritis Sux” and “Gettin’ Mad and Pumpin’ Iron” show their feral chemistry, but there’s diversity beyond three chords. See the story of album standout “Stop Stomp Stompin'” unfold from the first line (“I don’t need an alarm clock, ’cause I got yo’ feet”), Candice Jones’ synth pushing the agitation. The sublime “143” is girl-group glee meets awkward 1990s basement party, with hints of Georgian mamas and papas the B-52s on “Cheap Cheap.” The 15-song album feels a few tracks too long, but its quotidian WTF?-ness is quite attractive.

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This article appears in April 10 • 2009.

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