Whips

The Ride

ROCKS LIKE: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the Dead Weather, Whore Paint

WHAT’S DIFFERENT: It’s the second record of dirty rock ’n’ roll from the Milwaukee outfit starring vocalist Ashley Smith (Red Knife Lottery), drummer Andy Mrotek (The Academy Is…), bassist Tyler Chicorel (Call Me Lightning) and guitarist Christian Hansen (Hot Coffin).

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE: While 2014’s Turn It On was a fine introduction, LP No. 2 takes a step up in both urgency and songwriting. The Ride hits all kinds of pleasure buttons, from amped-up new wave (“Ms. Terry”) to unbridled, updated ’70s soul vibes (“Come On”) to Hansen’s post-punk textures. Sounding nothing like their previous outfits, the members of Whips throw down the kind of urgent, tough-assed rock that will make you forget about all of the processed pop tarts and sad boys with laptops that have seeped into our daily consciousness like aural fungus. Drive fast, rock hard, die laughing. 

OUR PICK: “Come On”

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