CD Review: The Dead Girls’ Hair Trigger EP (MP3 enhanced)

The Dead Girls, The Hair Trigger EP (self-released)

It seems Lawrence’s the Dead Girls (formerly Dead Girls Ruin Everything) have already taken Obama’s message of change to heart. Most obvious, of course, is the lopped-off moniker, but perhaps more significant is the Hair Trigger EP, the band’s first album in three years, and the first of three planned releases for 2009. Whereas the band’s previous full-length, What a Perfect Ending, was a frequently unpredictable mass of pop-rock energy, Trigger is a much more refined sugar. The vigor is still there, but cleaner production, subtle harmonies and a few softer edges on the instrumentation – especially in the full, rich acoustic guitars – prove that these boys can clean up nice. If this EP is any indication, the Dead Girls’ maturation is a change we can believe in. – Aaron Ladage

MP3: The Dead Girls, “Tied to the Tracks,” from The Hair Trigger EP