Reviewed by John Daniels

The first offering from this Chicago eight piece garage band who have a missionary focus on the problems of today's teenagers growing up in a world of media gloss and the fantasy perfection of the pop video. They pride themselves on "making the world safe to be ordinary." Although only the two vocalists are female, their sound is reminiscent of The Bangles with a blend of pop, punk and rock. The lyrics, designed to encourage kids in their walk with God, straightforwardly put over a message but still maintain a quirky wit. "Super Trouper", about letting our light shine, could be the source of international incident, with a line like, "If you were a country you'd be Switzerland, you never take a stand." A track, which is surely Top 40 material, "Barlow Girls", (already featured on The Experience 15), lets girls know they don't have to dress sexily or date to be popular. Other standouts are "Big Star Machine" and "TV Land" (the aforementioned fantasy perfection of video and TV) and the mellower "Let It Be", about not being put down by people or ourselves. A new band, worth watching.

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