Just Enough Hip to Be Woman

BRONCHO's second album followed a period of tough music industry scuffle for the Oklahoma scruff rock trio. After one album for Fairfax Recordings, Can't Get Past the Lips, in 2013, they went looking for a better home and found one with Dine Alone. Their second record, Just Enough Hip to Be Woman, captures much of the lovably dumb (in the best way) punk rock spirit of the debut, but also shows the band maturing and dialing down the rambunctious energy. Leading off with two tracks that sound like they could have come from Lips, "What" and the insanely hooky "Class Historian," you might think a straight line is being drawn from one record to the next. True, the sound is measurably cleaner and more compact, but the punch and almost giddy drive of the debut is still there. From there, the band takes a detour into some midtempo mood pieces and ballads, before the ninth song provides a jolt. The rollicking and silly "It's On," which was featured on Girls, is exactly the kind of rambunctious song BRONCHO excels at. ~ Tim Sendra