In just a matter of 2 years, hardcore punk act Kamikaze Girls have established themselves as one of the most upfront, in your face bands the British scene has to offer, with their loud, rugged sound and, more notably, their music covering such provoking, true-to-life subject matters.

And there is nowhere to get a better introduction to these aspects than with their most recent release – SAD.

Hexes serves as a perfect warm-up to the duo. Following a gloomy intro, the track properly kicks in with a rocking rhythm induced by blazing riffs. In the catchy lead single, Stitches, Lucinda truly makes her presence felt with intense, heartfelt vocals dishing out so much pepped up aggression reflective of the song topic.

As I Hate Funerals progresses at a more moderate tempo, the pair continue to impress with more of their trademark blunt lyrics, before injecting a buzz of maniacal energy with the secondary single Ladyfuzz, which is highlighted by such a volatile, commanding chorus.

Afterwards, the mind-blowing climatic number Black Coffee wraps up the record in immense fashion with Conor’s full-frontal drumming and a wildly fixating hook.

In short, simply brilliant. Aside from being a dynamic, heart-pounding blitz from start to finish as we predicted, the imposing writing is just stunning as it explores deep places where most would not, and furthermore it struck a personal nerve with us. For that reason alone, SAD stands as an exceptional commodity.