There’s often a certain expectation that accompanies the breakout of female-fronted punk bands (read: immediate Joan Jett and the Blackhearts comparison), but Wax Idols manages to simultaneously uphold and nullify it. On No Future, it rips through stereotypes and blurs genre boundaries with a rousing force of punk straight out of the San Francisco Bay Area.
Wax Idols shamelessly toys between acting like a Jett-inspired punk band and a bubbly indie pop outfit. Through trumping bands like faux pop-punkers The Donnas, the group thrives on a genuine, infectious ferocity that is not too saccharine and a sound that is blatantly mature, yet edgy.
“Dilno” exemplifies lady-punk through an energetic combination of thumping beats, thrashing guitar and frontwoman Heather Fedewa (aka Hether Fortune)’s forceful, fast-paced vocals. Subsequently, the catchy hook of “Gold Sneakers” is enough to reel the listener in for more. Wax Idols’ versatility is apparent between songs, and just when there seems to be a lull in energy, the band finds a way to re-infuse it and speed things up again.
That said, No Future remains fairly front-loaded, with the heavier punk screamers exploding in the first half of the album. Although the band makes a good effort at splicing up the tracks, it loses momentum towards the album’s end. But there’s something raw and surly about Wax Idols that remains thrilling. It will no doubt be refreshing to get washed over in this band’s raucous energy time and time again.
