Mario Hernandez has a long history of making really good, really fun and exciting pop records with his old bands
Ciao Bella and
From Bubblegum to Sky.
Kids on a Crime Spree is his new band,
We Love You So Bad is their debut, and it’s the simplest, most immediate record Hernandez had made yet. Also, maybe the best. Forsaking any tricky chord changes or musical finery, Hernandez and his co-horts (
Becky Barron of
#poundsign# on drums and Bill Evans of
From Bubblegum to Sky on guitar) stick to the basics of thrilling guitar pop on their self-titled debut utilizing pounding C-86 drumbeats, alternately fuzzed and reverb-soaked guitars, Hernandez's distinctive vocals, and song structures that reach back to the best '60s Brill Building pop as filtered through the head-long rush of power pop and
the Ramones. Nothing fancy, nothing surprising, but it’s played and sung with a ramshackle energy and fire that make the record impossible to resist. Almost every song sounds like a summer pop radio hit, the singalong choruses and handclapping rhythms are totally infectious and fun. The
Who-quoting “Sweet Tooth” and the somber but insanely catchy “Trumpets of Death” are the two obvious hits, but the rest would fill out a mixtape quite nicely as well. It may be a bit too noisy and bedroom wobbly to make the airwaves, but don’t let that sway you from checking out
We Love You So Bad. You should know from Hernandez's track record that there will be plenty of hooky melodies and songs that will be stuck like glue in your head and on your lips, and he certainly doesn’t let you down here.