Ears Wide Open: Illuminati Hotties

1
Illuminati Hotties (Photo by Kristy Benjamin)
Illuminati Hotties (Photo by Kristy Benjamin)

“At 24, I’m somehow making rookie mistakes,” Sarah Tudzin sings on “Paying Off the Happiness,” one of numerous nuggets on the cheekily titled album “Kiss Yr Frenemies.” It’s Tudzin’s debut under the equally cheeky band name Illuminati Hotties, which is her solo project. Thankfully, Tudzin’s continuing adventures in adulting — whether finding balance in her relationships or on her skateboard — provide excellent fodder for the music she calls “tenderpunk.” Great word, not cheeky. It’s (almost) all power-pop to us, (almost) all highly carbonated and (almost) all bubbling with hooks, humor and humility. (We qualify that because there is a piano ballad titled “Declutter,” which seems to have the noise of clutter in the background, that is a notable outlier.) The album has drawn comparisons to contemporary artists such as Courtney Barnett, Frankie Cosmos and Bully, but there’s over 33 minutes you might encounter the echoes of artists including the Go-Go’s, the Breeders and lesser-known but strong indie voices circa 1990s. Shake well and pop it open; the self-produced album is out Friday.

||| Stream: “Cuff” and “(You’re Better) Than Ever”

||| Live: Illuminati Hotties celebrate their album release with a show tonight at the Satellite, joined by Cartalk and Nani. Tickets.