The liner notes to Panda Riot's She Dares All Things describes the nine-track LP as "a collection of singles", and that seems appropriate. The album is very synth-y, poppy, and therefore catchy. Droning guitars on "Art School Girls of Doom" are the highlight and best representation of the album's mix of grunge with '90s pop, continuing the Juliana Hatfield vibe into "Plateau". That title, incidentally, is a well-known Meat Puppets song.

The drum programming can make things too tight, taking away an essential human element, and the slight phasing on the vocals makes things a bit grating at times. For the negative, however, there can be a positive. The programming on "The Jesus Demeanor" takes us on a hip hop detour, and the low-budget, DIY environment the album was created in (according to the notes, in the duo's bedroom) manage to eke out a sonorous shoegaze with an intimate flavor that will resonate with fans of the genre.

Pick up the album at Tonevendor.

Tags: Album Reviews, Panda Riot