The Koalas--Koalas

Hailing from the harshest rock city in America, Minneapolis (joke), The Koalas have smashed their way into the music scene by the strongest sense of the word. Their self-titled and self-released debut is one power pack after another, in the spirit of hardcore grrl rock of the ‘90s, and its no surprise that former Babes of Toyland drummer Lori Barbero is once again pounding away behind the set.

Many parallels can be drawn to former-Babes days. The vocals are female driven and harsh, again touting female issues but just not quite feminist. The instrumentals are unrelenting and harsh, but still manage to pull of a bit of melody. Interesting pieces like "Hold Your Breath" take it back a notch and show that The Koalas are more than just distortion and screams. Some of the songs just don’t stop until your head is throbbing, but mostly The Koalas are both a fun trip down memory lane and an interesting step forward. If they can keep it going expect more from these guys and gals.