Kevin Bronson on February 4th, 2016

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The rough-and-tumble first single from Los Angeles trio Blacktop Queen marries the brawn of ’90s alternative rock with the gritty immediacy of current garage-rock revivalists. And with a chorus that stings, to boot. Having played a couple shows around town as Blacktop before elongating their name for legal reasons, the trio melds the talents of singer-guitarist Evan Ambrose (ex-Future Fix) and two other guys who’ve played with a host of L.A. bands, bassist Omar Ahmed and drummer Nate Lotz. They aren’t messing around. “When you are 15 years old in a garage with your friends there is no thought to pleasing, no thought to fear of approval, just the unadulterated desire to play your ass off,” Ambrose says, laying out the band’s motivations. Theirs is a biting but not lo-fi sound that should have fans of grunge and certain post-grunge luminaries banging their heads. And there’s more on the way.

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