Whippersnappers sound whipped
On their self-titled 2007 debut, The Coathangers established themselves as quartet of tough-talking, grunge-smudged Atlanta pop sweethearts with simple demands: “Shut The Fuck Up,” “Don’t Touch My Shit,” “Nestle in My Boobies.” It proved oddly charming at the time, but already feels a bit tired on LP number two. Run through with kitschy soundbites from retro sci-fi flicks and news broadcasts, a few tracks expand the band’s musical palate (“Sonic You” is their first downright lovely tune) but the rest sink into a predictable groove of dumpy bass-lines and puckish drum fills, and mining far less satisfyingly sassy lyrical territory than the band’s debut. Indeed, the fiercest jabs Scramble musters are at noisy upstairs neighbors (“Stop Stomp Stompin’”) and joint pain (“Arthritis Sux”), lending a weirdly geriatric vibe to the would-be rough-and-tumble proceedings. Kids these days—they grow up so fast!