Emo-punk band hits Bend

Published 10:49 am Friday, August 22, 2014

Don’t let the name of Vancouver, British Columbia, band JPNSGRLS (pronounced “Japanese Girls”) fool you. This is not an outfit of cutesy school girls with anime eyes and pink guitars singing about kitty cats.

Except the kitty cat part. JPNSGRLS does indeed sing about kitty cats in its spasmodic, high-energy track “Smalls,” from the band’s new LP, “Circulation.” But that’s where the association ends. JPNSGRLS is four emo-punk dudes fronted by fast-singing and charismatic Charlie Kerr, whose fellow musicians (drummer Graham Serl, guitarist Oliver Mann and bassist Chris McClelland) “bring a garage-rock intensity to counterbalance the cutesiness of his delivery and some of his lyrics,” according to PopMatters.com.

If “Smalls” is any indication, this band melds lightning-fast punk riffs with melodic intensity and a creative lyricism that’ll make you want to actually listen to the words, not just bob your head and jackhammer dance till your knees go numb, though you may want to do that, too.

“‘Smalls’ is a song written about being on various drugs,” Kerr told PopMatters earlier this year. “The first half is written about the young, fun experience and the second half is about an adult dependence on anti-depressants that my friend struggles with to this day. Everyday he wakes up and hardly recognizes the person that drugs have made him.”

So, from drug-induced kitty cats to existential angst. Heavy stuff. But “Smalls,” like “Circulation,” is also infectious, with enough pop-punk to elevate the sound and enough meaty rock to keep it grounded.

JPNSGRLS is on its first U.S. tour and is making a stop in Bend on Saturday. If you’re a fan of loud, fast but meaningful punk, you won’t want to miss ‘em.

JPNSGRLS, with Tentareign; 9 p.m. Saturday; $5; Volcanic Theatre Pub, 70 SW Century Drive, Bend; www.volcanictheatrepub.com or 541-323-1881.

— Julie Johnson