CD Review

Hailing from the Midwest, Waterproof Blonde named themselves after a line in the French film “Girl on the Bridge.” Bursting onto the scene in late 2003 with the release of the EP Glitter Lust, they now segue into their first full length, the conundrum titled The Morning After the Night Before.

The album begins with the hard-hitting and catchy “Hold Me Down,” a rock n roll tune with electric guitars that evokes 90s Veruca Salt and Republica. Lead singer Rachel Hagen sounds a bit like Gwen Stefani, except with better vocalizations on the rock tracks. On slower songs she sounds like Amy Lee of Evanescence, except coarser.

The guitar is omnipresent, giving Blonde an alternative riot grrl resonance. “Are You Ready” is filled with heavy jamming guitars, feedback and a shoe-gazer influenced chorus. It’s not until track four, “Fall on Her,” that the rhythms slow down for a reflective tune. Hagen sings softly: “If I wait till I have the words to say/will they fall on her too late/before their meaning starts to fade.” The next two songs follow suit with introspection, yet still maintain their rockability. The music picks up again with “Diamonds,” where Hagen returns to her Stefani-esque vocals singing about diamonds falling from the sky. “Supermodel Craving” contains edgy guitars, full on “yeah yeahs” and the band continuously shouting “all you ever wanted was a rock star baby” that punches up the chorus.

Waterproof Blonde is all about head bouncing and energetic music redolent of 90s alternative and a bit of Joan Jett dominance thrown in. Basically Hagen and company know how to rock with an even balance of measured ballads. After awhile, the songs become repetitive with not enough distinction or variance from track to track, and occasionally combine with pedestrian lyrics. But despite those flaws, The Morning After the Night Before is a solid rock album and a good start for this burgeoning group.

For more info see: waterproofblonde.com.