BREAKING SOUNDS: Estrogen Highs 7"

posted Monday Jan 14th, 2008

Just another little rocket from nowhere this week, and what could be seen as a completely unassuming debut 7" by the Estrogen Highs from Conneticut has just enough of what's usually missing from a straight forward rock'n roll band these days. With nothing more than a peculiar name and an affiliation with the Sudden Walks as reference points, Estrogen Highs have delivered a simplistic and direct stab at primitive rock'n roll that continues to seep in and take hold long after the record stops. Not too far off from the oddly familiar Tyvek debut in it's inability to be pigeonholed, Estrogen Highs take that same 'less is more' aesthetic and keep it honest and catchy as an alternative to adding on to an already tired schtick, and they effortlessly let the music hammer out their blurry message. This two-song 7" marks the band's first on their own Never Heard of It Records, and contains the hit "Can't Complain," which holds true to the sloptastic vocal delivery style remarkably well. While it might not really hit you at first take, they have hidden something in the mix here and it may take a few listens before you find yourself humming these songs while you're waiting in line at the free clinic, or even worse, at the grocery store.

Their second single hits the shelves in another few weeks, appropriately served on Milk 'n Herpes Records, and shows no signs of letting up in their unabashed resistance to trend-hopping, and their natural dedication to off-centered rock'n roll minimalism. It's just one of those records that you can instantly warm up to, but you just can't figure out why it feels so good. Pick up copies of the debut Estrogen Highs single at Rocket Reducer and Florida's Dying before it's too late.