Cold Cold Hearts is pretty much the sort of work you'd expect from the band's members: Allison Wolfe and Erin Smith of
Bratmobile on vocals and guitar, bass player Nattles (who quickly went on to
Mark Robinson's
Flin Flon;
Robinson produces here), and others.
Bratmobile's single-note guitar thrash and sneering vocals are still present, but with a much fuller sound. The same scratchy basslines that would anchor
Flin Flon's
A-Ok (and
Robinson's production in general) add a jerky angularity to the mix that makes a lot of other thrashy female collectives look remarkably dated. The result is a solid entry into the contemporary tradition of post-riot grrrl Northwestern rock. ~ Nitsuh Abebe