Cars Can Be Blue - Trace The Tension LP (HHBTM)

And now for the filthy side of the Athens, GA music scene. Cars Can Be Blue began in Keene, NH as a duo consisting of guitarist/vocalist Becky Brooks and drummer Nate Mitchell in 2002, but became a trio after relocating to Athens in 2006 with the addition of bassist Jeremy Dyson. On their long-awaited third release, they’ve almost completely eschewed the cute pop niceties of their previous efforts to create an incredibly dark, bitter punk album.

Trace The Tension is about dysfunctional relationships. Just about every song is a spontaneous outburst of frustration with significant others, former lovers, scene mongers and, possibly, parents told in a jangly whirlwind of Fastbacks/Breeders fury. A sort of dirt-pop soap opera can be extrapolated from “On & On,” “Battleship” “Put Down the Gun,” “Banging My Head” and “Off You Go,” beginning with cohabitation frustrations that build to constant fighting, threats and eventually a point of disgust where the protagonist is begging her former lover to just off himself for her sanity. Even the genuine celebrations of love, “You Gave Me” and “Before I Met You,” seem like rose-colored preludes to the tragic opus. Other tracks, like “Lie” and “Poor For Life” detail the inner turmoil of self confusion, while “You Should Be Begging,” screams at the local hipster contingent like Dez Cadena singing for Thee Headcoats. “I Am A Slut” approaches sex with the exuberance of a female GG Allin, while “Don’t Tell Me” offers a bit of Ramones pumping. All this is punctuated by a disturbing answering machine recording of a drunken mother or ex-wife yelling at somebody for being a “lousy bastard.” Not exactly the easy listening you’ll find from your local adult contemporary radio station.

Perhaps unwittingly, Cars Can Be Blue have tapped into the most twisted human emotions while remaining catchy, exciting and even fun. It’s not a pleasant ride, and you’re gonna come out covered in blood, booze and semen, but it’s so damn worth it.