Last year the Stops put out a four-song demo tape recorded by guitarist and lead songwriter, Ruby, in the basement they practice in. It revealed an impressive grasp of melodic and dark lyrical content. Now they’ve spent some hours with Adam Becker, a recording engineer at Red Lantern Studios in Portland, and have recorded an LP (and more) in a much more polished way. This LP is a mandatory purchase—think poppy melodic punk with shredding guitars and incredible girl gang vocals.

Lizzy sings with ferocity and vulnerability about romantic betrayal while her bandmates rip it up with steady rhythm, crazy solos and complicated vocal arrangements. The production of this record steers it toward a position of fitting well with the classics that inspired it, such as the Adolescents, the Go-Go’s, the Observers and the Shangri-La’s. Be on the lookout for this release this summer on Sabotage Records. They will tour Europe this coming fall.

-Samantha Gladu