Since their 2013 debut album, Ride Your Heart, Bleached's Jennifer and Jessie Clavin have been cleaning up the rough edges of their punk-pop. On Don't You Think You've Had Enough?, they share how they cleaned up their lives. Their first work as sober artists, the sisters' third album reflects the turning point the Clavins faced after Welcome the Worms. On that album, Bleached put plenty of attitude and fuzzed-up amps between themselves and their problems; this time, they confront them, bidding farewell to toxic friendships on "Silly Girl" and dysfunctional relationships on "Rebound City." The Clavins' clearer perspective is mirrored by the clarity of their songs and performances. Working with producer Shane Stoneback, they hone their music to its hookiest lyrics and punchiest riffs; on the strutting opener, "Heartbeat Away," they sound catchier -- and more in control -- than ever. "Daydream" gives the songwriting skills they've had since "Think of You" room to bloom, while "Somebody Dial 911" updates the tough-but-slick sound of Blondie and the Go-Go's. The time Bleached spent on the road with Paramore was also a major influence on Don't You Think You've Had Enough?, and songs such as "Real Life" are just as confessional, relatable, and joyous as Hayley Williams and company at their finest. On the second half of Don't You Think You've Had Enough?, Bleached get a little rougher and a lot more real. Autobiographical glimpses like "Valley to LA" -- where Jennifer Clavin sings about "wishing we were punks from '82" -- and "Awkward Phase," which embraces puberty's most embarrassing moments, zits and all, show just how confident, and vulnerable, Bleached are at their best. That's especially true of "Shitty Ballet," an outpouring of slippery acoustic riffs and cathartic outbursts. It feels like the kind of breaking point that leads to real change, something Don't You Think You've Had Enough? is filled with. Clarity may be a new state of mind for Bleached, but it finds them generating sparks like never before.
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