Erase Errata
Nightlife
Popfrenzy

I generally hate 'chick rock'; one second of The Donnas and I'm in gag-reflex mode. Erase Errata are different: they've got balls, but don't have to sing about sleeping with guys to prove it. Instead 'Nightlife' turns its nocturnal eye on the state of America and the inconsistencies on which it thrives.

Jenny Hoyston's lyrics range from overt ("Murder with your tax dollars") to the somewhat less in-your-face Beacon, questioning right-wing church ethics. But do you know the best thing about this album? While you're shouting "American bastard, murderous bitch!" and venting your anti-war opinions, you can dance. I'm not sure this epiphany sits directly in line with the title track's singular line, "Night...Life...Forget about real life," but as long as you're dancing with a conscience, that's ok. Right?

Well, I figure that if they didn't want people to enjoy themselves, they shouldn't have written such darn catchy songs; Cruising opens with a cow-bell for crying out loud! That's not to mention the almost surf-wax boogie of Giant Hans and the thumping tom drum of Wasteland (In A...), guaranteed to start a rumble on the dance floor.

The Erase Errata girls play amok, easily forging their own brand of 'chick rock'. Their raw-boned, aggravated approach to both the lyrics and music itself takes the shine off what could easily be pop. In fact, they seem to have a love-hate relationship with pop music, as if pop music itself is sitting in the corner grinning weakly, 'Erase Errata beat me, but then they tell me they love me'.

There's no doubt that Erase Errata are willing to use pop, whilst having candid, simultaneous affairs with punk and indie dance-rock. That's just how this family works and it works well.

Cassie Hilditch