Review
L'Assassins
7 PM Go!!!

Big Action Records’ latest release, 7pm Go!!! from L’Assassins is definitely in line with their recent catalog. Instead of throwback garage, however, L’Assassins have a surf-rockabilly sound that’s takes inspiration from the original genre instead of the bastardized psychobilly that rules punksubgenreland today. This sounds like the kind of record your parents (or, for you younglings out there, your grandparents) put on the jukebox at the malt shop. Well, with some modern twists.

L’Assassins definitely carry a bit of swagger. While rock’n’roll hip-strutting is nothing new, it’s nice to see it coming from women instead of some skeezy guy in a leather jacket. It’s largely their lyrical content and that bit of sass that give modern touches on the long-established sound, kicking off the 45 with “It’s 7pm. Do you know where your women are? They might be with us.” As Tea Ann Simpson spits her lines, the guitars, courtesy of Monet Wong, jump with surfy beach-party pep and the rockabilly rhythm section rounds it out with complementary attitude. “Go” follows with a similar style, though there’s a more pronounced rockabilly feel this time around. For some reason, I keep thinking she's singing about “giving me a pizza,” but I know better. Anyway, the song is peppy with a good dose of bad-ass to it, but it lacks a little of the fun that carries “7 pm.”

The record drags on side B. Returning to surf guitars in the nearly four-minute “Backseat Bomp,” the song simply runs out of gas early. After an intriguing 30-second intro, the song shifts to a chord-structured progression in the verses that just doesn’t convey the energy that the early surf lines established. The song, while still fitting for background music during a summer cookout, never really establishes a strong identity and it’s more or less a b-side that can’t live up to its namesake.

It’s a nice record in a nice package, but unfortunately it peaks at the start. 7pm Go!!! is a solid release, but it’s likely to be relegated to sporadic one-and-done plays instead of taking up roost near the turntable.