Nashville's
Snooper aren't the future of punk rock -- they're a thoroughly enjoyable fusion of punk's past and present judging from their first album, 2023's
Super Snooper. Calling it a full-length album might be stretching it a bit, since the 14 songs zip by in just under 23 minutes (and that's with the final track, "Running," clocking in at 5:23). However, this band covers an impressive amount of ground in a short space, with the deceptively playful tone of lead singer
Blair Tramel assuming a cheery, singsong lilt as she belts out songs about self-obsessed bodybuilders ("Fitness"), the pursuit of easy wealth ("Powerball"), and the perils of conformity ("Xerox").
Tramel's musical sidekick, guitarist
Connor Cummins, builds simple but satisfying melodies from slabs of chockablock guitar, with the rigid up-and-down of the tunes generating a pulse that feels vaguely electronic even though the performances are organic, but for the occasional use of a drum machine.
Devo has been cited as a reference point for
Snooper's music more than once, and there is a certain resemblance to their early guitar-based material in the mingled precision and carefully choreographed bursts of chaos
Snooper deliver in these tunes. Second guitarist
Ian Teeple, bassist
Happy Haugen, and drummer
Cam Sarrett offer splendid support on
Super Snooper, hitting a solid midpoint between punky mania and expert interpretation of the sleek, minimalist melodies. The energy and drive that made them one of Nashville's favorite live acts translates well to this studio session. While the short bursts of sonic mayhem that precede it are impressive, the stretched-out groove of "Running" suggests how many more sides there could be to this band, generating a lifelike pulse and some potent dynamics that are dance-friendly and every bit as tense as anything on this LP.
Super Snooper puts enough of a fresh spin on the standard tropes of punk to make this exciting, without sacrificing the satisfying energy at the core of the sound. As a first major salvo from a band on the rise, this is highly promising and a lot of good, noisy fun. ~ Mark Deming
![The Best of Bob Dylan [Sony/BMG 2005]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/5099748792426_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "The Best of Bob Dylan [Sony/BMG 2005]")
![Greatest Hits: God's Favorite Band [Clean Version]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0093624908265_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "Greatest Hits: God's Favorite Band [Clean Version]")
