Chrome Cactus

This Austin, Texas, quartet have evolved over the years. Initially conceived as the bedroom project of songwriter Hans Zimmerman, The Young are now a furious pack of guitars charging into outer space. Nearly every post-punk guitar band owe something to Sonic Youth’s layers of feedback and dissonance-hugging song structures, and The Young are no exception, particularly nailing the sound of Sister-era SY on the album closer “Blow the Scum Away,” which deserves to be an anthem and a live centerpiece. At the album’s onset, “Metal Flake” has a sound that's compact and powerful; producer Tim Green (Nation of Ulysses, The F****ng Champs) layers the guitars to perfection and lets them color outside the lines before the song’s end. “Cry of Tin,” “Chrome Jamb,” and “Moondog First Quarter” all immediately demand attention due to the enviable guitar tones and the sustaining wall of sound, helped along by bass guitars that also carry a touch of distortion. Every track here deserves a chance to open up and bleed.