The HorrorPops keep the great reviews coming in!

Let's face it; the rockabilly/psychobilly scene is definitely in need of a makeover. No, we're not talking about a Queer Eye For The Straight Guy re-tooling, but a favorable infusion of some external elements would be quite the refreshing bonus, particularly since the genre's popularity has steadily increased over the past decade-plus with little movement within the music itself.

After all, mutations in popular music are as commonplace as ever --- there's hipster alt-country, lunkheaded rap-rock and nü-metal, hell, even Spin magazine coined the frightful new genre of "emo-rap" for the latest breed of independent hip-hop releases which have nothing to do with Sunny Day Real Estate . A little branching off the steadfastly barren psychobilly tree of years past wouldn't necessarily hurt. However, the 'billy music scene has had a limitation, as it's been largely dominated by males, caught rolling around in their testosterone-fueled vintage American muscle machines, sporting their fresh arm ink while thrashing about with hollow-body guitars, upright basses at blazing tempos. The scene traditionally relegated women to bystander status, rarely looked upon participants or contributors to the musical movement, in terms of recording and performances.

HorrorPops presents Hellcat's solution to the aforementioned glass ceiling, with a Danish sextet fronted by upright bassist/vocalist Patricia Nekroman (and includes two "rotten go-go dancers/moaners and groaners.") If the surname reads familiar, that's because she's actually Mrs. Kim Nekroman -- and thus the namesake of her husband's main gig, Nekromantix (Kim also moonlights in HorrorPops as a guitarist/vocalist, though he's only known as his last name in this capacity.) Just one spin of the act's Epitaph debut, Hell Yeah!, and you'll realize that the female-fronted element is vital to HorrorPops' ability to stand out from the rest of the redundant league. Patricia's vocals -- blurred somewhere between Gwen Stefani and Siouxsie Sioux -- are first rate, neatly and succinctly layered just above the backing of traditional swing elements, which are blended deftly with current pop and rockabilly tinges.

Patricia isn't just a mere gimmick, either. She's versatile and downright fantastic, commanding here ("Psychobitches Out Of Hell" is a case in point), crooning there and often a perfect mix of both (scope the dynamic "Misstake" for a clear example). Her backing band is an equally top-notch ensemble -- loose enough to inject a healthy swing push-pull, yet straightforward enough not to appear as if it's coming apart at the seams.

So it's no mistake that HorrorPops arrive via Epitaph, a label that's been instrumental in virtually redefining punk rock as whole over the past several years. Downright fantastic, HorrorPops usher in a new breed of psychobilly that the genre had not only lacked, but also desperately desired.

- Waleed Rashidi

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