Whacked-out cult upbringings and self-described drug dependencies aside, San Francisco’s Girls are definitely something to write home about. Pieced together by lead songwriter Christopher Owens and knob-twiddler Chet “JR” White, the band’s lo-fi debut, Album, sounds like a somber mish-mosh of ’60s beach parties and grainy, under-produced ’70s punk rock. Unsurprisingly, the record is chockful of songs about, well, girls-and they ain’t uplifting. Most of the material here stems from Owen’s less-than-fun breakup with his onetime bandmate/girlfriend. But the result of it all is a collection of rollicking, unfiltered emotion and melody that’s not only listenable, but downright timeless. Free of fancy production techniques, the catchy guitars on songs like “Summertime” and “Morning Light” not only stick out, but pulsate with a rawness that we simply don’t hear enough of anymore.

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