Available on olive green wax

Hardcore band Scowl, hailing from Santa Cruz, CA, have expanded their sound on their second album to incorporate a broader range of punk and hard rock. The first two tracks "Special" and "B.A.B.E." immediately hit the sweet spot, combining hardcore screams with a jaded Shirley Manson-style vocal from frontwoman Kat Moss, a dynamic that works well. '90s alternative rock meets the energy of punk and the crunch of hardcore throughout this excellent album, including on the riveting, high-energy "Not Hell, Not Heaven" and "Tonight (I'm Afraid)," which speeds up in the last half to a headbanging tempo.