Abi Ooze’s latest release, Julia’s Apartment does everything right… except one thing. As is her talent, Abi bases her sound on Ramones via the Spits charging, with a little bit of post-punk angularity thrown in to give the tunes an artistic bend. On top of that, she drops sing-songy lyrics that bounce on the top. I especially like that because while so many bands just howl over the top (or worse, go the pop-punk route… *shudders*) Abi looks to the earliest UK punks like X-Ray Spex, Slits, and Buzzcocks for sonic craft. While the tape is non-stop charging, the delivery is positively bouncy.

But therein lies the trick. While tracks like “Problematic” are snappy, the song itself is actually about hating yourself and focusing on one’s own faults: “I am a problem with no solution” she yells. Abi is particularly skilled at bending these timeless concepts into opaque viewpoints, which at times, have an almost psychedelic sheen. “Pattern,” the opening track, uses Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen as its focal points. On one side, it’s a left field approach, but on the other side, they WERE, read that WERE, massively famous and have dissolved into weird past-their-prime starlets in the view of the media. Abi sees the potential in this and bends it in all manner of ways. It’s poignant. It’s edgy. And it’s kind of funny. See also “Alien” which is about an Alien that bothers you when you are trying to hang out… but is it JUST about that? I really don’t know and that’s the point. I also really like when she is mean and snarls "you KNOW I want to make you feel bad" near the end of the tape.

At this point, Abi Ooze has been crafting these perfectly poppy weirdo punk songs. They sound classic and fresh. They rock and I’m not exactly sure what to make of them, which if you ask me, is the perfect way to approach these concepts, especially when Abi uses her unique focus.

Oh, so um, what’s the one thing she isn’t doing right? HOW ABOUT YOU GET IN A STUDIO AND RECORD A FULL LENGTH ALBUM NON-DEMO RELEASE, ABI?! ALL THE GOODS ARE READY TO GO, RIGHT NOW! BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!!! NOW GET IN THE BOOTH AND RECORD WHAT VERY WELL COULD BE THE BEST ALBUM OF THE YEAR!!! MY TAPE DECK IS WEARING OUT ALREADY!!!