More Poison than punk rock,
the Lunachicks' follow-up to the promising Babysitters on Acid is disjointed and disappointing. There's no denying that the debut's ingredients didn't disappear -- Binge & Purge is just as gross and lewd, just as drunk on big garage rock slobber as before. But without any new moves -- actually with a dial down of humor and hyperactivity -- it can only work as a hobbled companion piece to their early back catalog. The Lunachicks were much more talented than songs like "This Is Serious" and "Apathetic" implied. Considering the punk-art gallows humor of their beginnings and the refined assault on the senses in Jerk of All Trades and Pretty Ugly, Binge & Purge is best viewed as a mid-interest liaison between the band's two defining styles. ~ Dean Carlson