Pissed Jeans: Honeys

Sub Pop

Pissed Jeans are charmingly aloof, not really worried about pleasing anyone: aggressively snotty, but not in a jackass way; brutally humorous, but not in a Butthole Surfers way. Honeys, the band’s fifth LP, hones the group’s grisly ennui-rock without taking any real risks, but no one really asked them to, either. The gnarled groove of “Bathroom Laughter” chugs with standoffish ambivalence, letting the unrelenting riff plow through the narrative. “Romanticize Me” finds Pissed Jeans at their most sincere, with vocalist Matt Korvette demanding you not confuse him with a good guy. Having started as an outlet for mid-to-late ’80s noise-rock and grunge, Sub Pup went and released the best rock record in the post-Touch & Go era. (4 out of 5 stars)