This four piece from Portland, OR disbanded in 2009 after nearly a decade and several releases. However, this self-titled record from 2001 hasn’t seen the light of day until now. The reincarnated spirit of Stiv Bators lives inside The Hunches’ singer Hart Geldhill and resonates just like a caged animal that’s been cooped up far too long. His range goes from raspy melodic singing to a fierce, ear-shattering growl. Musically, this band is garagey with lo-fi production that fits all too well. They embody the era of sound when rock music got the “punk” qualifier prepended to it. Appropriately, the lyrics match the style perfectly. Shouts of, “I’m gonna break her heart cus I just wanna dance alone / Won’t ya leave me alone baby?” perpetuate throughout the tune. There’s also a beautiful bridge riff that sounds just like a track from The Nerves. Most obvious comparison is Dead Boys, though there are some mid-tempo New York Dolls type songs as well. Heavily influenced by late ‘70s proto punk and rock’n’roll, it’s a shame that this album was unavailable for so long. But it’s here now, so don’t snooze! –Kayla Greet (Almost Ready, almostreadyrecords.com)