For the uninitiated, Gateway District is a four-piece female-fronted band from the Twin Cities. Their members have amassed quite a resume, with current and past stints in The Soviettes, Banner Pilot, Dear Landlord, Rivethead, and many others. This is their second full length record and their musical perfection on these twelve songs is the diametric opposite of failure: catchy mid-tempo punk that balances raw passion and an invigorating air of triumphing over the adversity in the human condition that we all reside within. The lyrics are bold, unique, and cut right to the bone with my favorite example being the strongest song on the record “New Hands,” that begins with: “When they cut off my hands they threw me money/I grew new hands so I could pick it up/When they cut off my legs they all came for me/I grew new legs to escape this love.” The vocal interplay between Maren Macosko and Carrie Bleser is a joy to listen to and very well arranged. While I thought the debut Gateway District album was strong, they totally stepped up their game on this one. Serious contender for record of the year.
–Jake Shut (It’s Alive, itsaliverecords.com)