Mix in the undeniable catchiness of the Teen Idols when Heather sings or does a duet (like the Idols', "Twenty Below") , along with the jumpiness of Hi Standard, and a clear and radiant guitar, you've got Japan's Pear of the West. Female-fronted goodness, and it's pop punk, but in the new mutation that I'm liking so much more. Instead of tapping the pock marked vein of trying to cop what both Screeching Weasel and early Queers did so well, bands seem to be rotating the crops and pulling up the roots of some of the best catchy punk and instilling it with their own dirt and growth to fill in the spaces. Best Japanese to English translation line: "I'm full of drunk." Cool.
–todd (Snuffy Smile)