It’s not often that I come into possession of a release from a local band that earns “instant classic” status in my collection. Potty Mouth, named after the sole 90s full-length issued by punk outfit Bratmobile, dropped a ripper of a 12” EP on us a couple months ago via Brooklyn’s Puzzle Pieces, Cambridge’s Ride the Snake, and Feeble Minds, a label which shares the band’s home base of Northampton. Sun Damage brings the raw energy of the band’s namesake, but trades fuzzy guitar for punchy riffs and smart, complementary low-end, care of lead singer/guitarist Abby Weems and bassist Ally Einbinder. This two-pronged attack is threaded with lead guitarist Phoebe Harris’ surf-/post-punk-inspired leads and driven by the exceptional drumming of Victoria Mandanas (also of SC’s Chemical Peel). Potty Mouth exude confidence, flexing their obvious songwriting and playing skills on Sun Damage, while retaining a distinctly DIY sensibility. The EP isn’t over-produced, but the engaging melodies and haunting harmonies of tunes like “Dog Song” and “Drip Dry” aren’t fighting to get out from under layers of effects, as with many bands of our era. Lyrically, the band explores universal themes of stultifying hometowns, and growing up too fast in ways that sound fresh, but self-aware enough to steep each tune in the kind of reflection that invites the listener in. In music, words, and each stylistic turn, Sun Damage stands as both a major statement for a young band on the rise, and an excellent record in its own right.

Superfriends from Phoebe Harris on Vimeo.