The Suicide Notes Welcome You to Their Graveyard Sock-Hop On “Is That You?”

The mix of girl-group charm and horror-punk brawn is as alluring as it is frightening.

The Suicide Notes, Is That You? (Hovercraft)

[DEATH AND THE MAIDENS] For their first proper LP, the Suicide Notes adhere to their self-described ethos of girl-group aesthetics delivered with the sonic elements of punk. It manifests with a plethora of hooks and layered vocal lines as well as a one-per-song minimum of background ooohs and/or aaahhs for good measure. The trio of singers is backed by an equal amount of local scene-dude veterans hailing from bands like the Epoxies and Pure Country Gold, whose tenure in rock outfits results in tight chops and lean, ingratiating tunes that could get a morose paraplegic nodding in time to the endless assault of chunky grooves. Hand claps are a prerequisite, as are the scorching guitar solos, heightening the "graveyard sock-hop" vibe into the stratosphere. Jordan Richter's production captures each performance deftly, but first prize goes to whoever designed the multilayered harmonies present in each track. It's reminiscent of  '90s California ska outfit Dance Hall Crashers, whose vocalists always pulled off a confident brawn in tandem with an allure that made you wonder if any of them would be willing to date a kid who still lived with his parents.


SEE IT: The Suicide Notes play the Know, 3728 NE Sandy Blvd., with Mean Jeans and Sleeptalker, on Thursday, August 10. 8 pm. Contact venue for ticket prices. 21+.

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today.