Angry Cougars: the debut album!

With four ripping singles to their name, Columbus, Ohio's Betty Machete and the Angry Cougars already had the blueprint for a great debut album. All they had to do was keep being the Angry Cougars, and there was no way they could screw up. History has taught us that that there's just no stopping a true force of nature. And thus I'm delighted to report that that the debut album Angry Cougars (out on Break-Up Records) is precisely what it ought to be: a short and swift sonic assault laden with profuse airings of grievances and threats of physical violence that you can ignore at your own risk. It's truly the classic debut we've all been waiting for since 2012! 

In case you feared the possibility of the Angry Cougars embracing ballads, string sections, jazz influences, yodeling, rap interludes, drum machines, or songs about yachting on this nine-song LP, I can assure you that there is no sign of any such missteps. This is your textbook case of a band starting up the steamroller and just flattening everything in its path. As always, the Angry Cougars bring it hard and fast - tearing through these tracks in a style that teeters between pummeling Midwestern punk and blood and guts rock n' roll. The guitars are louder, the drums hit harder, and Ms. Machete sounds more pissed off than ever! A full two-thirds of these songs clock in at under two minutes - highlighted by ill-tempered burners like "Bullshit" and "Bullet". Not content to just re-package songs from the singles, the band has come through with almost entirely new material (although it is great to hear the old favorite "Mexico" re-worked for 2016 and sounding more ferocious than ever). And while there's plenty to like here if you favor the tried and true, closing track "Kill It" shows that there's more to the Angry Cougars than 90 seconds and a cloud of dust. The "epic" of the album at three minutes and 41 seconds, this thundering dirge is so over the top in its bleakness that it has me wondering if this is the Angry Cougar's Spinal Tap moment. But it's executed so well that I just can't be sure. If this band really wanted to go down the path of doom metal, you can't deny they have the chops to pull it off!

Alright, citizens of Columbus and surrounding communities! Angry Cougars hits local store shelves tomorrow for Record Store Day! Every copy was personally hand screened by Mr. Pat Dull himself! You can find the album at Elizabeth's Records, Spoonful Records, Lost Weekend Records, Used Kids Records, Records Per Minute, and Magnolia Thunderpussy Records. Also out on Break-Up tomorrow is the 2016 edition of the Columbus Blood series - a compilation LP featuring 12 standout bands from the Columbus independent music scene. Head on over to Facebook for further details!

 
-L.R. 

https://angrycougars.bandcamp.com/music 
https://www.facebook.com/AngryCougars