No Future

Wax Idols central figure Hether Fedewa (aka Hether Fortune) has the perfect voice for Wax Idols’ spot-on revival of classic punk. Just girlish enough soften the blows, her delivery veers between blasé punk ennui and a clipped bark you don’t want to argue with. That confident voice stands up solidly to her sparking, saw-toothed guitars and the double blows of a pounding rhythm section. Assisted here by members of fellow Bay Area bands Sic Alps and The Splinters, the Idols’ first long-player is a fast-moving, swaggering ode to early punk, the riot grrrl sound, and the first wave of post-punk. It’s a glorious blend of textures, from the anthemic (“Bad Future”) to the fast and furious (Wire's “Sand in My Joints,” “Dilno”), along with pop-kissed tunes recalling Elastica’s finest moments (“Hitman,” “Dead Like You”). The crazily catchy “Gold Sneakers” throws a little Runaways bubblegum-punk flavor into the party mix for good measure, only to be countered by the corrosive slog of “Human Condition.” No Future is a just-about-perfect modern punk rock record, and there aren’t many of those around.