Ride Your Heart

The idea that California girls might suffer anything more than a bad hair day is explored in detail on the wonderfully poppy and energetic debut album from Bleached, the L.A.-based project of sisters Jennifer and Jessie Clavin. With a mix of Phil Spector-ish girl-group pop and Ramones-like aggression, tunes like "Outta My Mind," "Dreaming Without You," and "Waiting by the Telephone" express the same angst as their teen-male counterparts. These tracks go even further than "Searching Through the Past"—the single leading up to this album—in capturing youth's raw energy. Two girls for every boy may sound great to a budding lothario, but these sisters aren't impressed with that math. These former members of Mika Miko take great joy in bringing forth primitive but effective guitar skills to match their spirited (and often in-unison) vocals. "Love Spells" has a basement-garage demo sound that adds to its appeal. "Dead Boy" takes a few unexpected melodic turns for added freshness.