Girl In A Coma

Both Before I’m Gone

[3.5/5]

Fifty seconds into “Clumsy Sky,” a melancholy waltz recalling Chrissie Hynde at her most precious, and you may be wondering how Girl In A Coma ever ended up on Joan Jett’s label, Blackheart Records. Then the feedback kicks in, followed by buzzsaw guitars, a big, juicy pop hook and plenty of attitude from singer Nina Diaz. Suddenly, it all makes sense. But while much of what follows is just as infectious, from the dance-punk-flavored “Sybil Vane Was Ill” to the swooning girl group charms of “I’ll Ask Him,” they’re actually closer in spirit to a female Smoking Popes with occasional nods to Pixies and a debt to Morrissey running deeper than a band name cribbed from “Girlfriend In A Coma.” (BLACKHEART, blackheart.com) Ed Masley