Where many musicians merely write songs to be eventually collected in the form of an album, Mary Strand’s music feels more like street-wise, punk philosophy and social anthems designed to be salvos of rhetoric that make up the chapters of a manifesto for our times. That might sound a bit pretentious, but I assure you it isn’t; her music is about as far from such a place as you could find yourself.
Opener “Take Your Time” is power-pop at its finest, a bridge between 1950s girl groups and early punk and garage rock, as well as the British, blonde-pop phenomenon of the early 1990s. And this first salvo sets the scene perfectly, a showcase of power and poise, muscle and melody.
“Costa Rica” tells the tale of trials and tribulations on a challenging holiday, a story of trouble in the titular paradise, and overcoming obstacles. “A Place to Roam” is perhaps the most understated song here, again about getting away from it all. But her finest hour is found when she makes a stand, raises her fist to the air, and advocates defiance.
The title track is an autobiographical anthem about not being afraid to show the world who you are, replete with the classic sound of twin guitar riffs. “Wanna Talk Dirty” takes Joan Jett’s biker-rock groove and reimagines it for the modern age. The album ends by asking us if all the fads and fashions, the habits, conformities, and societal expectations we succumb to are really what life should be about, or as the title says, “Does Any of This Really Matter?” Think bigger!
I’m sure Mary Strand didn’t set out to write such a sonic manifesto, but you can learn a lot from her songs. And musically, it might not be punk according to the rules and regulations of that genre’s gatekeepers, but if you ever wondered what happened to that punk spirit that its aging followers still wax lyrical about, look no further.
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