On Perfect Love Song, the second Lisa Prank album, Robin Edwards changed the way she went about recording her punk-pop heartbreak songs. This time around she ditched the drum machine and turned her one-woman project into a tight rock & roll band anchored by her raw guitar playing and the steady rhythm section of bassist Bree McKenna and drummer Tom Fitzgibbon. She also made the genius move of hiring Rose Melberg (Softies, Tiger Trap) to produce the album and more importantly, provide the occasional vocal harmony because if you want a lovely harmony on a sad song, why not go for the best? Melberg adds her dulcet tones to quite a few tracks and she and Edwards sound wonderful together. The songs this time around are a little different, too. Not only does she excel as before on uptempo garage punk songs that sound ripped out of the Cub and Tiger Trap songbook, but there's a wider range of tempos, moods, and arrangements that gives the record some welcome dimension. After the opening salvo of ripping rockers that lay Edwards' broken heart bare and batter it with electric riffs, booming bass, and thundering drums, the midtempo indie pop weeper "Ignore It" comes along to serve as a breather and also a perfect example of how Edwards has grown as a songwriter and singer. Again, it also helps that Melberg is along to provide support. "Need Too Much" is another soft-focus pop song that bounces like an early Ramones ballad, "Work Hard" is a touching acoustic ballad that Edwards sings with heartfelt sincerity, and "Telescope" is the album's quiet highlight. An aching ballad co-written and sung with Melberg, it's a searching and beautiful song that captures the abject heartbreak that drives the album's lyrical content. Plus it sounds like a classic Softies song. Pair these quiet songs with the very strong batch of punk-pop rippers that make up the bulk of the record, and Perfect Love Song ends up a big step forward for Edwards and Lisa Prank.