Youthful L.A. Disney grrl band
KSM revel in the sort of synth-heavy punk-fringed bubblegum pop that harks back to the early '80s (i.e.,
Missing Persons), when the group's five members weren't yet even zygotes. In their best moments on 2009 debut
Read Between the Lines, they'll capture a power pop whirlwind (the title track) or throw in a soulful modern emo tinge ("Everytime You Go"). The five girls pull it off with panache, finishing the songs off with a 2000s teen pop gloss, or sometimes a '90s girl-ska-punk (think
No Doubt or
Save Ferris) sheen, as on "Don't Rain on My Parade." Oddly, the album's highest peak comes in the form of the intricate, somewhat
Bon Jovi-esque ballad with a
No Doubt wail, "Distracted," the LP's opening single. ~ Jason Thurston