Muzzle's debut album,
Betty Pickup, was a blast of indie guitar rock similar in style to Sugar or punk band
Shades Apart. The highlight of this set of songs was without a doubt the brilliant, soaring "What a Bore," a which showed that
Muzzle can write some great melodies and vocal harmonies. Of the rest of the album, "Bleed On" and "Glug" came closest to matching this high standard. Unfortunately for
Muzzle, melodies alone don't make a great album. On
Betty Pickup, the band fell into the trap of allowing too little light and shade on the album, preferring instead a straight-ahead guitar assault. Still, though,
Betty Pickup was a promising debut from a talented young band. ~ Jonathan Lewis