American Thighs

VERUCA SALT : “American Thighs” (Minty Fresh/Rise)

For the trainspotters among you, this album is named after a line in an Aerosmith song . . . but don’t let that put you off. With American Thighs, Veruca Salt have released one of the finest debut albums of the year.

You’ve barely pressed the PLAY button when ‘Get Back’ declares that this bunch mean business. Right from the off, this record bristles with self-belief, with a brash self-confidence that so many bands merely talk about in interviews but which few seldom live up to on their records – which is, after all, the yardstick on which reputations ultimately stand or fall.

The reputation of this Chicago four-piece is spreading faster than KerryGold on wings and it’s easy to see why. The tunes beguile you into permament and unconditional admiration, not least for the guitars and vocals of Louise Post and Nina Gordon. Given that this is their first record, you can’t help asking yourself how a band so young can sing songs so good. Listen to the single ‘Seether’ or the incredible ‘Spiderman ’79’.

Comparisons with fellow grungettes The Breeders or even Madder Rose are inevitable but Veruca Salt are not out to steal anyone else’s thyme. When you pay close attention to what they’re actually singing about over those gold-plated hooks which are strewn all over the album, you realize that there is substance to their style :

“And in the dream you held a gun/ And killed our father who hurt you/ And left me there, the only one/ Who dare not desert you/...I lost my innocence today/ When I learned how to write this.” (‘Celebrate You’)

Kindergarten pop it most certainly is not. Such lyrics lend an irreversible, sinister twist to one’s perception of the photo on the back cover of a small girl standing beside a playhouse – the very picture of childhood innocence and trust. A tricky subject to deal with in a rock song, as some closer to home have recently found out, but Louise Post handles it expertly, never sinking under the weight of the subject matter but leaving you, as did Natalie Merchant on ‘What’s The Matter Here’, with a considered social commentary to which you can actually sing along.

You’re going to hear a lot more from Veruca Salt in the future. I, for one, will be listening.

• Nicholas Kelly